But the chairs were motionless, suspended in the dark night air, and the control room with the engine and levers was tightly locked.
Where could they be?
He tried not to let the worst-case scenario sink in, but concern was wedging itself firmly in his throat. He’d promised his brother he’d look after them. What if he’d lost them out here in the forest? At least it was no longer snow season. But still, it was dark and the area was pretty remote. They could’ve wandered too far and gotten lost, or worse—separated.
He wondered if they were scared. One time, when he’d been five years old, he’d spotted a giant gumball machine in the Boise mall. He’d been so in awe, he’d slipped away from his mom and Luke to check it out, and before he knew it, they were nowhere to be seen. He remembered his dad had always told him that if he ever got lost, he should stay in the same place, and that was just what Drew had done. Of course, the place he’d decided to stay was wedged behind a table and a trash can in the busy food court. So nobody had been able to find him for nearly thirty minutes. It had been the scariest and longest half hour of his life. He’d cried so hard and so silently, he’d nearly made himself sick.
Two high school girls had found him and took him to their gift-wrap booth, where they were volunteering to wrap presents for their cheerleading squad’s fund-raiser. One girl had held his hand while the other had flagged down a security guard to report a lost boy.
Drew’s mom was there in minutes and looked just as panicked as he had felt. But worse was seeing his twin brother, Luke, who had been more upset than all of them and had also gotten sick in fear for his lost sibling. Drew tried to play off the experience as if he hadn’t been frightened out of his mind and promised himself that it was better to be calm and organized in a crisis than to lose control of his emotions.
Yet here he was thirty years later, experiencing that lost, scared and helpless sensation all over again. He needed to find the boys. He needed to take control of the situation so he wouldn’t feel so overwhelmed.
He ran back toward the terrace, deciding that he would enlist an entire search party if need be, but he was going to do something. Yet right before he got to the terrace, he caught sight of a tall redhead walking through a darkened field of overgrown grass just beyond the north end of the lodge. He probably wouldn’t have seen her if it hadn’t been for the way the distant glow of the fire caught the glimmering sparkle of her gold-colored bridesmaid dress.
Drew jogged past the patio and straight for her. As he got closer, he saw that she was holding the hands of two animated blond-haired eight-year-olds. One of the boys was dragging a broken tree limb behind them.
“Where were you two?” His voice cracked, the fear and anguish he’d just experienced overriding any sense of relief or gratitude for Kylie having found them.
“We were just getting more wood for the bonfire,” said Aiden, or possibly Caden. It was too dark and Drew’s adrenaline was pumping too fast for him to discern the difference.
“Yeah, Mr. Scooter and Mr. Jonesy said they couldn’t make the fire too big without more tinder, so we went to find them some. Why are you all sweaty and breathing funny like that, Uncle Drew?”
Kylie bent down and spoke softly, calmly. “Your uncle was worried because he couldn’t find you.”
“But we told Hunter where we were going.”
“That’s who told me where to find them,” Kylie said to Drew. “We already talked about it, and they both promised me that next time they decided to go off exploring, they’d tell an adult.”
“Hunter’s eleven. He’s almost a grown-up,” Caden argued.
“But Hunter’s not responsible for you two. I am.” He was at his wit’s end, but he knew yelling at the boys wouldn’t solve anything.
“Sorry, Uncle Drew. We were just trying to help make the fire grow bigger.”
He let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He’d been deployed to the front lines of enemy territory all over the world. He was trained to maintain his cool, to help other people get through their emotional issues. But this? It was too much. He’d been back in the United States for a little over a week and already he’d gotten rip-roaring drunk, married a stranger, pissed off his in-laws and practically lost his brother’s children. War was easier.
His mom had been wrong. He couldn’t handle the boys. He couldn’t handle any of this. And he had to report to his new job assignment the day after tomorrow. How was he supposed to counsel wounded veterans and PTSD patients when he couldn’t even control his own life?
His sister was volunteering at some orphanage in West Africa, his brother was on a top secret assignment and his parents were on a much-needed vacation. He had no one. For the second time in his life, Drew felt completely and utterly alone.
Where were the cheerleaders at the mall gift-wrap booth when he needed them most?
“Okay, boys.” Kylie’s voice broke the direction of his self-pitying thoughts. “Why don’t you haul that branch over to the fire pit? But do not step off that concrete patio without talking to your uncle first.”
As the boys made their way back, Kylie and Drew stayed near the stone wall separating the lodge from the overgrown trails beyond. She stood close to him as he got his breathing under control.
Her skin glowed golden in the firelight, and he knew she must be freezing cold. Even though it was June, the nights up here in the mountains still dipped into the fifties, and she was barely covered in that tight satin sheath. In fact, her shoulders shivered slightly. He took his wool uniform jacket off and put it over her shoulders. The woman might lose her temper with the gossips of Sugar Falls and her overbearing father, but she sure knew how to keep her cool around his nephews.
“Thank you,” she said as she snuggled into the jacket’s warmth. They were both keeping an eye on the boys, yet neither one was in too much of a hurry to gather around the fire or otherwise return to the wedding reception.
“No, I should be thanking you. I ran off hell-bent for leather, and you kept your wits about you and found the boys single-handedly.”
“Did you just say hell, Saint Drew?” She looked up into his eyes, and when he saw the faint smile on her full lips, he was tempted to show her exactly how unsaintly he could be.
“Contrary to what everyone thinks about me, I’m no angel.” Especially not with the way his overheated body was responding to her closeness.
She tilted her head as if considering such an absurd possibility. But then something caught her eye, and he followed her gaze to where her parents were standing just inside the ballroom, saying their goodbyes to the bride and groom.
She sighed. “I’m sorry about inviting myself to live in your cabin with you and the boys. I promise that I never had any intention of putting you in that situation.”
“So you’re not really considering moving in with me?”
“As if.” She tried to laugh, but the sound came out more strangled than anything else. “Can you imagine how awkward that would be?”
He didn’t answer because, although he knew that it would be uncomfortable for them in some ways, it would also be a perfect solution to his biggest problem. “I don’t think it would be so bad.”
“Are you kidding? We barely know each other, and you’ve already got your hands full with the boys and your new job and everything.”
“But where will you go? I mean, you could back down in front of your parents, but they did sort of call your bluff by saying your brother would be staying at your place.”
“Ugh. I forgot about that. And Kane tells my dad everything. I guess I could move in with Mia or get a room here at the Lodge.”
“For the entire summer?”
“Why do you sound as if you don’t think the idea of me staying at your cabin is completely ridiculous?”
Was he that obvious?
“Well, sure, it might seem odd at first. But technically, we are married. I mean, nobody else in town would think it was unusual. And to be ho
nest with you, I could use some help with the boys.”
“But I don’t know anything about kids.”
“You’ve done a better job in the past twenty-four hours than I’ve done all week. Maybe it’s because you’re a woman and they need a mother figure, but you have a way with them. They actually listen to you and follow your directions. Look, just stay for a little while until I can learn how to do it on my own. Remember what I’ve been saying since the start? We’re in this together.”
“You know, you’re way better at this whole psychology thing than I am.”
“Years of training.”
“Speaking of years of training, I have a full-time job. I guess I could do some work from home, but I couldn’t be with the boys all the time.” She was caving. He could sense it from the way she seemed to be examining it from all the angles.
“I have them enrolled in a summer day camp, but I would still need help with drop-offs and pickups and putting out any other fires—no pun intended—that might come up.”
Just then, her parents walked outside. As Kylie moved in closer to him and looped her arm through his, Drew knew her dad’s still suspicious expression sealed the deal for her. He was about to get a new roommate.
“Well, Jellybean, your mom and I are heading to our room upstairs for the night. We’ll stop by for dinner on our way out of town tomorrow. Should we bring anything?”
“Nope,” Drew said. He wasn’t going to let her back out now. “We’ll have everything all taken care of.”
He should be wondering how he’d come up with this mad scheme, let alone gotten Kylie to agree to it. But all he could think about was how soft his new wife and roommate’s skin was.
* * *
Kylie drove down the rutted dirt lane leading to the Gregson family cabin. Her Mercedes was stuffed to its closed convertible top with all the shoes, clothes and bedding that she might need for the next couple of months—or at least until her brother was no longer staying at her condo.
Of all the stupid scrapes she’d gotten herself into, putting on that newlywed act for her parents last night really took the cake. She couldn’t believe she’d be stuck playing live-in nanny for some handsome stranger for the summer.
Her head was still throbbing from the two glasses of champagne she’d indulged in at the reception last night. When was she going to learn that alcohol and Andrew Gregson did not mix well for her?
She put the car in Park and eyeballed her temporary new home before getting out. The log house was small, but it seemed to be in good repair. Although the dirt driveway was going to be killer on her high heels.
She grabbed a suitcase out of the front of her two-seater coupe just as Drew came down the porch steps. “Here, let me help you with your... Hey, is all of this stuff yours?”
He squinted at the loaded trunk, and she saw his Adam’s apple bob up, then down.
She had about two hours to settle in before her parents showed up for a home-cooked Sunday dinner and Act Two of her cozying up to her pretend husband.
She didn’t have time to deal with Drew’s analysis of her belongings. She handed him the suitcase and a tote bag stuffed with shoes before grabbing her purse, her laptop case and a paper sack full of groceries from Duncan’s Market. Thankfully, Marcia Duncan hadn’t been in the store when she had stopped to get supplies for tonight’s meal.
Drew was dressed in jeans and a button-up plaid shirt that still had creases in it. Which only drew her gaze to his very large, very broad shoulders.
Ugh, she needed to stop looking at his body.
Instead, as they walked up to the path to the front porch, she focused on the old brown Oldsmobile sedan parked along the side of the house.
“Where’s the Man Machine?” she asked.
“The what?” He looked over his shoulder at her.
“The big yellow Jeep. That’s what Maxine used to call it when Cooper was staying here and driving that thing.”
“It’s parked near the boat shed out back. Why would she call it that?”
“Why wouldn’t she? It has huge mud tires, a gun locker strapped to the rear bumper and a beer cooler as the center console. It’s about as manly a vehicle as it gets.”
“Hmm, well, the twins thought it was fun, but I decided my grandma’s Oldsmobile would be a safer choice for a family car.”
She hitched her purse higher on her shoulder as she leaned in to look inside the car more suitable for a great-grandmother than for a bachelor uncle. “It only has lap belts and no airbags. Plus six ashtrays and not a single cup holder. How kid friendly do you think that is?”
“Well, it’s better than that little red matchbox you’re screaming around town in.”
“That’s a Mercedes-Benz. It’s my style—sophisticated with just a hint of pizzazz.”
Were they having their first argument? If so, he needed to understand that just because he was an uptight doctor didn’t mean she was going to give up her plush lifestyle to be some Suzie Homemaker wife and substitute mother.
He held the front door open for her, polite even in disagreement.
“She’s here! Aunt Kylie’s finally here,” Caden screamed as he ran out into the living room in nothing but a pair of superhero costume leggings.
Okay, so maybe her heart melted just a tiny bit when she heard the word aunt. Although Hunter called her the same thing, her own brothers had yet to have any children—that she knew of—and she didn’t mind the idea of these delightful cuties looking up to her.
Aiden followed, wearing only his underwear and the top half of the costume, complete with a cape around his shoulders. “Hey, Aunt Kylie, you wanna sleep in the bunk room with me and Aiden?”
“First, you’re Aiden and that—” she pointed to the shirtless boy opening the kitchen cupboards “—is Caden. Don’t try to pull that old trick on me. Second, let me get all my stuff unpacked before we figure out the sleeping arrangements.”
She knew Drew wouldn’t want to sleep in the same bed with her. Really, she had to agree it was for the best, no matter how good he looked when he woke up. But she really hoped she wasn’t sleeping in the bunk room.
“I was thinking that I could room with the boys,” Drew said as if responding to her exact thought. The guy was both moral and chivalrous. “There are two sets of bunk beds in there. You can take the master bedroom.”
“Are you sure? How are you going to fit in a bunk bed?” Again her eyes strayed to his bulky shoulders and long, strong legs. She needed to stop looking at him if she was going to be living here. No good could come of lusting for her in-name-only husband.
“Trust me. Navy ships have much smaller and crowded quarters than these. We’ll make do.” He lowered his voice so the boys wouldn’t hear. “Besides, I’ll keep most of my stuff where it is and just sneak into one of the bunks after the kids fall asleep. I figure we should probably give off the appearance that we’re sharing a room, even with the boys, so they don’t slip and say something later.”
“You’re probably right,” she said while simultaneously thinking, How in the world are we going to fake this all summer?
“Boys, come help get Miss, ah...” He lowered his voice again. “What do you want them to call you?”
Well, technically, she was no longer a miss. Was Drew going to expect her to take his last name while they were living here together, pretending to be the happily married couple? They had so much to figure out. What the kids called her seemed like the simplest of issues.
“Kylie is fine. Whatever they’re comfortable with.” Although she did like the aunt part, she didn’t want to force her questionably earned title on Drew or his family.
He carried her suitcase toward the hallway. After dropping the bag of groceries on the kitchen table, she followed him for the rest of the tour.
The cabin was one large great room, consisting of an open floor plan kitchen, a comfortable living room and a dining room table separating the two. A hallway led toward what she assumed were the bedrooms
and a single bathroom.
“Wow, you have a ton of books,” she said when she saw the cardboard boxes lining the larger bedroom wall. “Are they all yours?”
“Yep. My mom and dad were cleaning out the garage and wanted me to take some of my stuff. I told them I’d go through the boxes over the summer and see what I can get rid of. When Luke gets back and I get a place of my own, it’ll make the move easier.”
Whew. It was a good reminder that Drew was in Sugar Falls for only a short time. Hopefully, come September, this whole awkward mess would be behind them.
He effortlessly tossed her oversize suitcase, which had to weigh close to seventy-five pounds, on top of the bright orange-and-turquoise-patterned quilt spread out on the bed. Realizing the strong man could probably lift her just as easily and place her on the king-size mattress, Kylie figured she needed all the reminding she could get that this arrangement was temporary.
She averted her face, which must have been an unflattering shade of crimson, and tried to concentrate on the contents of the boxes.
Psychology textbooks, philosophy books, books on world religions. He was an intellectual man.
And a seriously good-looking one.
“So I better finish unloading my car. My parents will be here in a couple of hours, and I wanted to make some dinner and at least make a pretense of being all settled in.” Plus, she had a half-gallon container of Neapolitan ice cream melting in her grocery sack.
“Are they coming armed with bridal magazines?”
“I hope not. I told them that you didn’t want to talk about reception plans with your nephews here because you didn’t want them thinking that our marriage wasn’t legitimate. So with any luck, we’ll just have dinner and they’ll hit the road.”
“You have no idea how good a home-cooked meal sounds. The boys and I have been living off peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches and frozen chicken nuggets.”
She looked at his flat stomach and wondered how much food it must take to keep his body looking so muscular and taut.
Waking Up Wed Page 9
