by Darcy Burke
Crystal slipped the paper into her purse. “It may be that we need the archaeologist to come out and indicate where they need to work.”
“Good point,” Alaina said. She turned her head toward Kelsey. “But you’re right about talking to the Westcotts and Hayden first. Let us know what they say.”
“Sounds good.” Crystal put her purse over her shoulder. “I’ll make notes after I talk to each of them. Then we can decide as a group what to do next.”
Alaina grinned. “See how efficient she is?”
They left the room and then the building, saying their good-byes outside. As Kelsey walked with Gram to the car, her phone pinged in her purse. She pulled it out and saw that it was Luke again, asking if she’d gotten his earlier text.
She responded, saying ten thirty was fine.
“Is that your not-date again?” Gram asked.
Kelsey fished around her purse for her keys. “Yes. And he isn’t a date.”
Gram sent her an unconvinced side-eye. “Mmm-hmm.”
“Really.” Kelsey pulled out her keys.
“Maybe he should be,” Gram said with a shrug.
Kelsey unlocked the car with her remote. “Gram.”
“Sorry, I’ll be quiet. I just want to see you happy again.”
“I am happy. Especially now that you’re here. I don’t need a man in my life. You said so inside—just because Dorinda was alone doesn’t mean she wasn’t capable or successful. I’m both. As well as happy. Alone.”
“You make an excellent argument. And you sound like me.” She chuckled. “I can’t find fault with that.”
They got into the car, and Kelsey started up the engine. On the way back to Ribbon Ridge, she thought about Dorinda living the rest of her life alone after Hiram had died. Had that been her choice? Had she been happy? Kelsey hoped so.
Chapter Five
Luke made the very short drive to Kelsey’s apartment and was fortunate to find an open spot to park at the curb. He shut the engine off and looked through the passenger window at the building. It was pre-1950, with businesses all along the ground floor. A hair-and-nail salon took up the most space on the corner. Next to it nestled a door that likely led up to Kelsey’s apartment. He hadn’t realized people still lived in the building.
He got out of the car and didn’t even make it to the curb before she was already walking toward him with a brilliant, beautiful smile. Her hair was split into two dark, glossy braids that fell over each shoulder, and dark sunglasses covered her pale blue eyes. “Good morning! What a nice day for a hike. Though I hope it warms up a little.” She rubbed her arms, which were covered in a violet-blue fleece pullover.
“It will.” The sun was already shining, and the temperature would likely climb to the mid-seventies. Add in the exertion of hiking, and they’d be plenty warm. “I hope you’re not too warm in jeans.”
She glanced down before looking back at him, her dark brows arching elegantly over the top of her glasses. “Oh? Should I change? I see you have convertible pants on. I don’t have any of those.”
He knew he’d convert to shorts at some point. “Do you have anything lighter weight?”
“I might. It’s just been a while since I did anything outdoorsy. Do you mind waiting while I go change?”
She wasn’t going to invite him upstairs? “Sure.”
“I’d invite you up, but my grandmother is staying with me, and she’s in the middle of her morning routine.” She flashed an apologetic smile. “Be right back.”
Luke leaned against his car and waited maybe five minutes before she jogged back out the door in a lightweight pair of capris. She had great legs—long and lithe.
“Better?” she asked.
He nodded. “I think you’ll be more comfortable. Ready?”
“Yep.” She held up her hand, in which she clutched a hat. “And I almost forgot this. That would’ve been bad.”
“For sure. But I keep extra caps in the car. I can’t tell you how many times that’s come in handy.” He opened the door for her.
“Such a gentleman,” she said softly.
“My mom would kill me if I wasn’t.” He closed the door with a smile and rounded the car—his trusty, beat-up, old Jeep—then climbed into the driver’s seat. “It’s about a thirty-minute drive. Do you like music or quiet?”
“Either is fine. I do so little driving anymore.”
He fired up the engine and pulled onto Main Street, then took a quick right so he could loop back around and head west out of town.
“I guess that makes sense,” he said. “You live and work in about a four-block radius, right?”
She chuckled. “Pretty much.”
He slid her a glance. “Welcome to small-town life.”
“I like it. I grew up in Chehalis, which isn’t that much bigger.”
“What brought you here to Ribbon Ridge?”
She took a moment to reply, and he sensed she was organizing what to say. Which made him wonder what she was censoring. “I was in a relationship, and he got a job in McMinnville. We lived there, but I worked at The Arch and Vine.”
He remembered when she was new. That was a couple of years ago—when he and his brothers and Hayden had decided to buy the vineyard and start the winery. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you with the relationship, but I’m glad you decided to stay in Ribbon Ridge.”
“I really do love it. And I actually like being away from my family.” She chuckled again. “Wow, that sounds terrible.”
“Maybe,” he said, smiling. “But your grandmother’s here?”
“Oh yes, but she doesn’t count. I adore her. I mean my mother. And my stepfather. Mostly my mother. We have a rather, um, tense relationship. Things are much better when there’s distance between us.”
“That sucks, but I get it. When I went to college in California, I was so happy to be away from my family—my mother, my father, my brothers, all of them.” He glanced toward her and saw that she was watching him. “My introvertedness was at an all-time high then.”
She nodded. “I so get you. I was thrilled to move to central Washington to go to college. I even graduated high school a year early.”
He laughed. “Wow, you were desperate. And apparently very smart since you graduated early.”
“I don’t know if I’m particularly smart or just driven.”
“I see. So when you go after something, everyone better move aside?”
She let out a sharp laugh. “I don’t know about that.”
“Well, I’ll be keeping an eye on you.” And that wouldn’t be a hardship. They spent the rest of the trip talking about their college experiences and how they’d learned to come out of their shells a bit more. She mentioned that she’d been in a relationship, but he noticed she didn’t say anything specific about it or the other person, which only doubled his curiosity. Or maybe it was nothing. It wasn’t like he was telling her all about Paige and, really, there was nothing interesting there.
But it still accounted for three and a half years of his life. He inwardly flinched at how that sounded—that he’d spent three and a half years in a relationship that didn’t bear mentioning. He pushed that from his mind as he turned into the parking area for the trailhead.
He parked near the large sign with a map of the area and turned the engine off. “I’ve got the packs in the back.” He jumped out and went to the rear of his Jeep and opened the hatch.
She met him there, tugging her hat over her long braids.
He grabbed one of his caps from the Jeep and pulled it low on his head. Her hat was brimmed and made of khaki twill. It looked great on her. “You’re clearly one of those women for whom hats are made.”
“Guilty. I own at least two dozen. My favorites are winter hats, though. That’s probably the bulk of my collection.”
“Wow, that’s impressive.” He bet she looked adorable in every single one of them. He pulled the hydration pack out of the Jeep and handed it to her. “This okay for you
to wear?”
She pulled it on over her shoulders. “No problem.”
“Cool. You know, I think I’m going to ditch the lower part of these pants right now.” He unzipped the removable legs and tossed them into the Jeep. Then he tugged his pack on.
“Your backpack looks heavier,” she said.
“Not much. It has a hydration chamber too, so think what you’re wearing plus our lunch and some basic supplies. You know, in case we get into trouble.” He locked the car and led her toward the trailhead.
“Uh-oh, what kind of trouble?”
He tightened the straps on his pack. “First aid, compass, water purification, extra food, that sort of thing.”
She looked at him askance as they started on the trail. “You’re the real deal.”
He nodded. “Real enough, but not quite up to going out for more than a handful of days.”
“Let me guess, only because you have to get back to work.”
He laughed. “You know me so well already.”
She threw him a flirty smile. “Like you said, it takes a workaholic to know one.”
“Did I say that?” He couldn’t resist flirting with her. He did wonder why she’d changed her mind about coming with him today and wanted to find a way to broach the subject.
The trail was wide enough for them to hike side by side. For now, at least. Once in a while, they’d have to go single file.
She adjusted her pack, tightening one of the straps. “Oh, before I forget, I wanted to talk to you about the Bird’s Nest Ranch.”
At first he wasn’t sure what that meant, but then remembered it was the historical structure that had been on the vineyard property. “I hope you aren’t going to ask me to bulldoze my vines.”
“Not at all. We were able to find where the house was located. Here.” She stopped on the trail and pulled her phone from her back pocket. “I have a picture.”
She tapped up the photo and then zoomed in so he could see it in better detail.
He took the phone and tried to figure out the placement of the house but had trouble finding his orientation. He zoomed back out, and that helped. “It looks like it’s up on the ridge, right where Block D terminates. You might actually be able to find what you need without any disturbance.” There was a space there between the pinot in Block D and the chardonnay in Block C. “It’s hard to say, because the terrain may be different now if dirt’s been moved around. The house would’ve been on a flat area, and what’s there now doesn’t seem large enough to support a house, but I guess it was probably fairly small.”
“We’d like to hire an archaeologist to come out and survey. If you guys agree.”
“Sure. Let me know when you want to set up a meeting. We’ll have things we want to discuss with them first. I want to understand what they plan to do—how invasive they’ll be. That sort of thing.”
“Of course. Crystal is setting that up, but I’ll make sure she gets in touch with you.”
He handed the phone back to her. “Thanks.”
“No, thank you.” She stashed her phone in her pocket and gave him a warm smile. “We appreciate you being so cool about this.”
It wasn’t hard. He wanted to help. “What can I say, your passion for this project is contagious.”
She laughed, and they continued along the trail for a few minutes.
He decided to pursue his curiosity about her. “So, uh, why’d you decide to come with me today?” He watched her body language to see if it would tell him anything.
She kept her gaze trained straight ahead. “My friends keep saying I should get out more, and they’re right. And who better to get me away from work than another workaholic.”
“I can’t argue with your logic.”
“So tell me about your family,” she said, perhaps deflecting the topic to something safer. “You said you were happy to move to California, and yet you came back and started a business with your brothers. And don’t you live with Jamie?”
“Uh, yeah.” He adjusted his sunglasses over the bridge of his nose. “We’ll see how much longer I can take it. I don’t think I’m meant to have a roommate.”
“I get you.”
“But your grandma is staying with you. How’s that going?”
“It’s fine, to be honest. But she’s moving out today. She’s going to stay in an apartment at the Archers’.”
“Over the garage,” he said. “I’m familiar with it. Is she relocating to Ribbon Ridge?”
“She hasn’t said, but I think she might be considering it. Can I tell you a secret?” She’d lowered her voice despite the fact that they were alone in the forest. “Maybe it isn’t a secret, but it’s sure…weird.”
He slowed and angled toward her, anxious to hear this now. “What?”
“When she first got here last week, she came to the pub, and she met George. They totally flirted with each other, and I’m pretty sure she’s been over there to see him every day. Well, every day that he was there. He was gone once, and she was so disappointed. I think they might even be texting each other.”
Luke howled with laughter. “How is that weird? That’s awesome.”
“Easy for you to say. She isn’t your grandma!”
“No, but George is like everyone’s grandpa. Or crazy uncle. Some sort of relative. He’s quite beloved in Ribbon Ridge.”
She sipped from the hydration pack. “Oh, believe me, I know. He’s so nice to everyone, what’s not to love? But he’s different with my grandma. I think he likes her.”
Luke couldn’t help smiling. “God, I hope so. I’d love to see him settle down.”
The trail narrowed for a few dozen yards, and Kelsey moved in front of him. “He’s never been married?”
“Not that any of us know.” Luke tried not to stare at her backside, but it was damned hard. Thankfully, no one could see him checking her out. “He was a strict military man for years—in the Marines. Then I think he was actually in some sort of intelligence position.”
She glanced back over her shoulder, and he jerked his gaze up. “Wow. I didn’t realize. He doesn’t talk about that too much.”
“No, he doesn’t. He’s pretty tight with Rob Archer, so I’ve heard a few things from Hayden.” The trail widened again, and he quickened his pace to come abreast of her. “Now I’m going to be on the lookout for how George behaves next time I’m in the pub. Maybe I’ll ask him about his love life.”
“No! You can’t do that.” She reached out and grabbed his forearm briefly. Her touch jolted through him like a rocket blasting off. Damn. “Forget I said anything.”
“I wouldn’t say anything,” he said, his arm still thrumming from her touch.
“Hold up for a sec.” She stopped and pulled the pack off, then set it at her feet, letting it lean against her ankle. Grasping the hem of her pullover, she whisked it up over her head. The garment tried to take her base layer—a pale blue tee—along with it, which exposed the slightly curved plane of her abdomen. Again, he tried not to fixate on her, but damn it was getting harder and harder.
Shit, something was getting harder.
He pivoted and willed his erection to stand the hell down. He hadn’t been attracted like this to a woman since Paige. And their relationship had cooled considerably in the months leading to their breakup, so it had really been a long time.
When he chanced a glance back at Kelsey, she’d tied her fleece around her waist and was now pulling the pack back over her shoulders. “Ready,” she said.
He started up the trail, and she fell in beside him. “So your grandmother might be moving here, maybe because of George. Do I have that right?” he asked.
“I don’t know about the George part. We haven’t discussed it. I suppose I should ask. I just didn’t want to intrude. Relationships are just…personal.”
Another thing they had in common. He recalled his conversation with his mother the other night. She seemed to want specific answers about why things hadn’t worked out with Paige, but n
one of it was any of her business. Hell, he didn’t like thinking about it, so why would he talk about it?
“I couldn’t agree more,” he said.
They walked down an embankment to the creek, an unnamed offshoot from the larger Gales Creek. “What a cute little bridge,” she said.
He paused and waited for her to cross first—it was very small. “This was my brother’s Eagle Scout project.”
She turned when she reached the other side. “Really? That’s so cool. What was yours?”
He walked across. “Also a bridge. On a different trail.”
“Oh, you’ll have to show me some time.”
Really? “I’d love to. Maybe next Monday. We could make a habit out of this. At least as far as our jobs would allow.”
She pivoted, and they continued along the trail. “I don’t think I can do that. Definitely not next Monday. I’ll need to catch up from playing hooky today.”
“You should cut yourself some slack. The work will always be there.” Had he really said that out loud? How many times had people told him the exact same thing and he’d told them to mind their own business? He winced. “Wow, that was an obnoxious thing to say.” He reached out and offered her his hand. “Hi, Kettle? I’m Pot.”
She laughed and took his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Again, the connection with her spread through him like an unchecked wildfire—hot and dangerous.
She pulled away from him, and her gaze trailed off. Had she felt that too? She busied herself with drinking from her pack.
Luke followed her lead and sucked back a bunch of water. They walked on, falling silent for a few minutes. After a bit, she asked him if he had Netflix, and they embarked on a lengthy conversation about the ease of streaming programs and debated whether televisions were becoming obsolete.
Luke had a very large TV. “As long as there are televised sports, there will be televisions.”
“And movies,” she added. “Some movies are just no good on a smaller screen. Who wants to watch The Avengers on an iPad?”
