For more than a week he had been avoiding everyone and everything. He had even taken three days off and gone hiking alone up in the woods. The peace and solitude hadn’t improved his mood. At the end of the three days he couldn’t even stand himself.
“Hello, Matt. Glad you could make it.” Millicent answered the door and welcomed him into her home. “Please come in.”
“Thank you.” He knew he was five minutes late. He would like to think he had done it on purpose, but he hadn’t. Time had gotten away from him and there was a lot of traffic pouring into the area for the holiday weekend.
“We’re meeting in the dining room.” Millicent led the way.
Millicent had the grandest house in Misty Harbor. It screamed history, antiques, and money. Lots of money. Last year he had done a small renovation job in one of the bedrooms upstairs after a nasty storm had caused a leak in her roof. The formal rooms downstairs weren’t for show. Every square inch of the large house had the same attention to detail.
Matt heard the murmur of voices before he entered the room. Millicent had pulled out all the stops for the meeting. One of the hand-carved mahogany servers was loaded with silver plates with fancy little cookies and cakes. She had even pulled out the antique sterling coffeepot and her great grandmom’s china from France. He was impressed.
At the long table that could easily seat twelve, if not more, sat four men and Sierra. Austin was down at the other end all by himself coloring in a book. Austin glanced up, smiled, and waved.
He waved back. He had missed the little tyke.
“Would you care for something to eat or a cup of coffee before we begin?” Millicent was always a proper hostess.
“No, thank you.” Matt walked to where Austin was sitting and took the seat next to him.
Without missing a beat, Millicent picked up her cup and sat on Austin’s other side. “I believe we’re ready, Sierra.”
Sierra shuffled some papers. She was sitting at the head of the table with two big easels behind her. She hadn’t once looked at him.
Matt leaned back in the chair and studied her. She was gorgeous, as always, but he could tell she had taken extra care with her appearance. She was wearing makeup and her hair was piled on top of her head in a neat, orderly twist that looked totally professional. Even her earrings were tiny and so un-Sierra-like. Today she was wearing a navy business suit with a white silk blouse. He didn’t like this Sierra at all.
“First, I believe introductions are in order.” Sierra nodded to a neatly dressed man in his sixties. “This is my father and the president of the Randall Corporation, Lucas Randall. The man next to him is our CEO, Jake Morley. Sitting across from them are Bob Turner and Mike Resnick.” Each man nodded as his name was mentioned.
Sierra looked at Millicent. “Millicent Wyndham has graciously offered the use of her home for this meeting. She not only owns the lighthouse and the twenty acres it is sitting on, but she’s Misty Harbor’s town-appointed matriarch. Then there’s Austin, whom you all know, and Matthew Porter. Millicent requested Matt attend this meeting for a couple reasons. He’s also interested in buying the lighthouse property, and since he is a lifelong resident of the town, Millicent feels he has a vested interest in this meeting. I agree.”
Matt sat there and frowned. Sierra hadn’t looked at him. Oh, she made a good show of looking in his direction, but her gaze had been over his head and at the curtains behind him.
He leaned over and helped Austin select the right color of green for the frog.
“The Randall Corporation has a long tradition of building hotels that cater to our clientele’s needs and wishes. They demand the best, and we supply them with it. It’s my recommendation that the Randall Corporation build their next hotel on the coast of Maine. It’s beautiful and majestic,with scenery that is unparalleled. We couldn’t ask for a better location.
“That being said, the property Ms. Wyndham is considering selling, which includes twenty acres and a very charming, quaint, and historical lighthouse that would add that ‘special touch’ the Randall Corporation is known for, is not right for the company.”
The green crayon snapped in half between Matt’s fingers. Matt slowly raised his head and looked at Sierra. She had her back to the room as she flipped back the top sheet on the first easel.
Matt cringed when he saw the pencil drawing. Whoever the artist was, he or she was good. It was the subject matter that appeared all wrong.
“As you can see, to incorporate the lighthouse into a hotel that contained seventy-five rooms, as this one does, doesn’t work. The structure overshadows the lighthouse. Every ounce of quaintness and charm has disappeared. Twenty coastal acres is not nearly enough land for the hotel, the lighthouse, the parking, the landscaping, or anything else. There is also no easy way down the cliff to the water below. Lighthouses were built to warn ships away from the rocks and shore. As you can see, there are plenty of rocks, which is all nice and scenic, but there’s no way to access any kind of water recreation. The view is spectacular, but you might as well be landlocked.”
Matt tried to remember to breathe. Sierra didn’t want the lighthouse and the property?
Austin tugged on his sleeve. “Matt?”
“What’s the matter?”
“You broke my crayon.” Austin looked upset.
“I’m sorry, buddy. I’ll buy you a new box.” Matt trimmed some of the paper around the tip of the crayon. “See, you can still color the frog.” He showed Austin that the crayon still worked.
Sierra went over to the other easel and flipped back the top page. “Since I believe it would be in the best interest of the Randall Corporation to build in Maine, I went looking for a more suitable piece of ground.”
She stepped away from the easel so everyone could see the picture. This one was also in pencil and expertly drawn, but instead of cringing, Matt appreciated the historical feel of the hotel.
“This piece of property is about twenty miles from here and consists of a little bit over one hundred acres. There will be plenty of room, enough to build an eighteen-hole golf course right on the coast.” Sierra turned the page and a drawing of the golf course appeared.
“There’s thirty acres right on the coast.” Sierra flipped to the next page. “As you can see there will be plenty of room to build a dock. Some of our clientele might prefer sailing into our resort instead of driving. We might also consider purchasing a few boats for some of our guests to rent.”
Sierra turned another page. “My opinion, gentlemen, the one you have paid me to have, is to build a coastal resort with all the amenities that our clientele expect.”
Matt sat there stunned as Sierra’s father, ex-husband, and the other executives started firing off questions in rapid succession. He could barely process a question by the time Sierra was firing back answers. Sierra was fielding every question with expertise that made him proud.
This was the businesswoman side of her she had told him about. He had seen bits and pieces of it during the planning of the wedding. But this was exceptional. That Sierra could put together such a presentation in such a short amount of time was a testimony to her drive, ambition, and talent. He could see the admiration in the men’s eyes and knew the resort hotel would be built exactly where Sierra was recommending.
The questions finally started to die down.
“Excuse me, gentlemen,” Sierra said. “There’s more.”
A murmur went through the table.
“I realize that this is hardly the time or the place, but I’m going to do it anyway. I want to be in charge of the planning and construction phase of the hotel. Then once the resort is ready to be opened, I want to manage the actual day-to-day operation of it.
“Furthermore, if the job is not offered to me by the end of today, I will be handing in my resignation, effective immediately. Austin and I will be living in Misty Harbor. No more hotel rooms, room service, and flying around the country on a moment’s notice. I have already registered Austin for nu
rsery school, which begins Tuesday, the day after Labor Day.”
Bob and Mike started firing off more questions.
Sierra’s father and ex-husband looked directly at Matt.
Matt felt the world shift beneath his feet. Sierra and Austin were staying. Sierra’s father was giving him a speculative look. Jake Morley smiled at him and gave him the thumbs-up sign. He wondered if Jake knew he hadn’t talked to Sierra in more than a week. He was a fool.
Just because Sierra was staying didn’t mean he had won the lighthouse. He still couldn’t afford his dream. Some other hotel chain would eventually snap up the property. If a hotel had to go up there, he would have rather it been Sierra’s. Why hadn’t he stayed that night and talked to Sierra? Why hadn’t he stayed around to hear her side of the story? Why had his first and only reaction been one of betrayal?
Matt felt the pounding of a headache. Austin was tugging on his shirt and Sierra still hadn’t looked at him.
Sierra watched Matt walk out of the dining room. A moment later she heard his truck start up out front and he drove away. Well, that didn’t go as planned. She had been expecting some kind of reaction out of Matt. Instead, all she had received was silence.
Her father and Jake were looking at her with sympathy, but she took heart in Millicent’s smile. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as she feared.
“Sierra, the job is yours, if you still want it.” Lucas Randall looked at her with love in his eyes. “You did a bang-up job on this proposal. Now tell us the downside.”
A smile tugged at her mouth. Her father did in fact know her very well. “One person’s downside is another person’s challenge.”
“Oh, Lucas, we’re in for it now. I’ve seen that look before,” teased Jake. “Spit it out, Sierra. Bob and Mike have a six o’clock plane to catch. They deserve to spend time with their families this holiday weekend.”
“Did you two get settled in the bed-and-breakfast okay?” She had made reservations for her father and Jake for the long weekend. She had hoped both men would be dying to see the property and the surrounding area and would spend some time with Austin.
“You’re stalling, Sierra,” Lucas said.
“Okay, the property is for sale, and just as I described, but there’s a catch. The owner is asking a ridiculous amount.”
Jake smiled that barracuda smile that perfectly matched her father’s when they were on the scent of a challenge. “How long has it been on the market?”
“Eleven months”—she handed out packets to each of the men—“this time.”
Her father raised a brow and opened his folder. “This time?”
“Mr. Jefferies has put that particular piece of property on the market three times in the past twenty years. Each time the asking price has been overpriced.”
“Teddy’s an unreasonable, stubborn old coot at times.” Millicent chuckled as if her words were an understatement. “But there are ways around him.”
“And you would know these ways?” Lucas Randall flashed Millicent a charming smile.
“For a price.” Millicent didn’t bat an eyelash.
Sierra wasn’t positive, but there might have been a flush to her father’s cheek. Was he trying to flirt with Millicent, or was it the other way around?
“I would love to discuss that price, say, over dinner tonight?”
“Of course.” Millicent smiled. “Sierra warned me that you can be a charmer, Mr. Randall. I see that she was correct on that one.”
Her father flashed her a quick look before turning his attention back to Millicent.
“The price I will be asking concerns all of you, and your future hotel. For my knowledge of—let’s not call them secrets, let’s say insights—into the workings of Teddy Jefferies’s mind, I would like the four of you, and Sierra, to put your thinking caps on. Misty Harbor could use the influx of more tourists. I want you to try to figure out ways to promote our quaint little town to your clientele.”
Jake chuckled. “You want us to go into the advertising business?”
“Not exactly.” Millicent moved her now-empty cup so it was sitting perfectly in the center of the saucer. “People vacation in Maine for various reasons. There are lots of activities of interest in the area, from fishing, boating, and hiking, to sitting in our restaurants eating lobster and clam chowder. One of the main draws of the coast is our quaint fishing villages.”
“You want us to promote your village to our guests.”
Millicent smiled. “Exactly. Competition for those tourist dollars is getting tougher. We’re not Bar Harbor, Camden, Boothbay Harbor, or any other major tourist town. We’re one of the thousand ‘cute, little, and quaint villages’ that line the entire coastline.”
“Are you trying to blackmail me, Ms. Wyndham?” Lucas asked incredulously.
“Not at all.” Millicent looked offended at the mere suggestion. “You’re free to go negotiate with Mr. Jefferies on the price of the property.” Millicent neatly folded her linen napkin. “All I am saying is, once you’re tired of beating your head and wallet against Teddy’s stubbornness, we’ll talk.”
Lucas Randall threw back his head and roared with laughter. “By God, woman, I don’t know if I should offer you a job or kiss you.”
Sierra parked her rental SUV next to Matt’s truck. She knew she would find him here at the lighthouse. She got out of the car and looked at him sitting on Carrie’s Hill staring out over the ocean. She had come this far; she wasn’t going to chicken out now. She took off the prim and proper suit jacket, tossed it onto the passenger seat, and untucked the white silk blouse. The earrings had come off during the short drive to the lighthouse. With quick fingers, from years of experience, she plucked the pins from her hair and shook her head. The breeze felt wonderful.
She now felt more like herself, a woman instead of a business entity.
Without saying a word, she joined Matt on Carrie’s Hill. The sea was a sparkling blue and the afternoon sun felt wonderful against her face. She had been spending too much time indoors lately.
Five minutes went by before Sierra asked, “What are you thinking?”
“I’m trying to decide if ‘horse’s ass’ is hyphenated or not.” Matt knew he had been a horse’s ass; he just didn’t know where to begin with his apology.
When he had heard her SUV pull up to the lighthouse, he’d realized one very important thing. It was time for him to let go of one dream and reach for another. He would rather have Sierra and Austin in his life than a forty-foot stone-cold lighthouse.
“So Austin and you are moving to Misty Harbor?”
“Yes.” Sierra kicked off her navy pumps and started to wiggle her toes in the grass.
“Where are you two going to live?” It was a reasonable question. He couldn’t very well ask her to marry him and move into his apartment. He hadn’t spoken to her for nine days. Besides, it was a one-bedroom apartment. Austin couldn’t very well sleep on the couch every night. “The Alberts are due back in five days.”
“I just signed the papers on eighteen acres of land.” Sierra didn’t look at him; she continued to stare out over the sea. “And I signed a year’s rental agreement with Norah’s mother for their cottage.”
“Next to my parents?”
“One and the same. It fits my needs perfectly for now. Austin is so excited to be moving into a real house, especially one next to Tyler’s grandparents.”
“I see. So what kind of home will you be building on the land?”
“I don’t plan to build on it.”
He wished she would turn and look at him. Was that a smile tugging at her mouth? “Why did you buy it, then?”
“I fell in love with the view.”
“Where’s the property located?” The surrounding area had lots of land with outstanding views, but wouldn’t she need a home to appreciate them? “What are you going to do? Park a lawn chair in the middle of it to admire the scenery?”
Sierra waved her arm to the left. “It’s right there, and I
won’t need a lawn chair. I prefer the grass.”
Matt blinked and looked left. “Right where?” The village of Misty Harbor was to the left, way left. He didn’t know of any property up for sale between the lighthouse and the town.
Sierra picked up a small pebble and tossed it. It landed about ten yards from them. “Right there.” She turned and finally looked at him and smiled.
He finally got it. Sierra had bought the lighthouse and the land. “It’s twenty-point-two acres, Sierra, not eighteen.” It was a sweet gesture, but he didn’t want Sierra to buy his dream. It had been his dream, not hers.
“I didn’t buy the lighthouse or the two acres it’s sitting on, Matt. Millicent split the property.”
“Why didn’t you buy it all?” He had done some research into Randall Hotels during the past several days. Sierra Randall-Morley had more money than Millicent, and Millicent was the richest woman he knew.
“I had it on good authority that a local resident has had his eye on the lighthouse for more than twenty years. I couldn’t deprive him of that dream.”
He might be able to afford his dream now, but it wouldn’t be worth a thing if Sierra and Austin didn’t share it with him. “How would you like to marry a horse’s ass and share his dream?”
Sierra’s eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “I was beginning to wonder if you had been calling me the horse’s ass, or yourself?”
Matt looked at her as if she was nuts. “You didn’t answer the question, Sierra.”
“You didn’t ask it properly.”
“Sierra”—he reached out and brushed a lock of her hair away from her face—“will you marry me?”
“Yes.” Sierra threw her arms around his neck and captured his mouth.
Matt allowed himself to be tumbled backward. The feel of her mouth was driving him nuts. “I love you, Sierra.”
“I love you too.” Sierra’s prim and proper skirt was hiked up to midthigh as she straddled his hips.
A Misty Harbor Wedding Page 26
