by Nicola Marsh
It wasn’t fair.
‘Rhys?’
Jade’s tentative touch centred him. He had to get through this, had to tell her everything, for both their sakes.
‘My eldest brother Archie was killed in a car accident when I was a kid.’
Sorrow down-turned her mouth. ‘I’m so sorry.’
She captured his hand between her bulky gloves, squeezed it before releasing.
‘You’ve met Callum. He coped by assuming Archie’s position in the family firm. He was nineteen.’
Her eyebrows shot up and he nodded. ‘Yeah, a joke. But he felt responsible, carried around this huge guilt because Archie had been on the way to pick him up from the cops. Just juvenile stuff, drunk and disorderly, but Callum paid for that night for years.’
‘How?’
‘Threw himself into the business twenty-four-seven. Didn’t have time for anyone or anything else. Almost imploded.’
‘What happened to him?’
Some of the pain eased as he recalled the phone call Callum had made to announce his engagement to Starr. He’d never heard him sound so upbeat.
‘He met a woman and he changed.’
She could see where he was heading with this; he saw it in the sudden wariness around her eyes.
‘Me, I coped by running away. Our parents only ever paid attention to Archie and when he died Callum and I became redundant. They blamed Callum and barely acknowledged I existed. So once I turned eighteen, I hit the road.’
‘And you’ve been running ever since…’
‘Yep.’ He inhaled, pinched the bridge of his nose, and continued the confession that would hopefully convince her he meant every word. ‘Then Claudia rocked up and I let her get close, the first person since Archie.’
Jade’s mouth drooped. ‘How involved were you?’
‘We had a thing for a while.’
When her lips down-turned further, he rushed on. ‘You know she was a daredevil—we had that in common. The adrenalin rush, the exhilaration, it was heady stuff, ’til I realised what we were doing was crazy. Then Claudia wanted to get serious and I backed off.’
He’d often wondered if he’d done things differently if she’d still have been alive. It had haunted him, her wounded expression turning defiant, a real ‘I’ll show you’ smirk.
‘She grew wilder, trying to keep me interested and I continued to cool things. Then I broke it off…’
The ever-present guilt lodged deep in his conscience jabbed him, hard. ‘And that was the day she died.’
‘Oh, my.’
Jade’s hand flew to her mouth, her sympathy doing little to soothe him.
‘Heading out to that glacier was her way of getting my attention, of keeping me interested despite what I’d said. And it ultimately got her killed.’
‘That’s why you blame yourself.’
He nodded. ‘If I hadn’t treated her like that, who knows—?’
‘You said it yourself. She was a daredevil. You didn’t force her to do anything. By the sounds of it, you reined her in, but she still had to push the boundaries.’
She reached a hesitant hand out to him, touched his sleeve. ‘You’ve got to let this go before it eats you up inside.’
Regretting when she dropped her hand, he went for broke. ‘Want to know the silly part? When I saw you pushing yourself harder to meet my expectations, saw you trying new things without a qualm, you reminded me of her in a way and I used that as some warped justification to push you away. When in fact you’re nothing like her.’
A wry smile twisted her mouth. ‘Good to hear.’
‘Even with Claudia, I wanted to keep running and not look back. I’ve always run. It’s what I do.’
Stepping into her personal space, he trailed a fingertip down her cheek. ‘Until now.’
Her bottom lip quivered and he rushed on. ‘All this time I’ve been petrified of staying in one spot too long, getting too attached to anything.’
Cupping her chin, he tilted it up gently. ‘But you know something? Some things are just worth the risk.’
Before she could react he kissed her with all the pent-up passion and frustration and hope that had been driving him mad.
He’d missed her so much, had never imagined in his wildest dreams he’d crave someone so much.
She hesitated for a fraction of a second before flinging her arms around his waist and kissing him as if she’d missed him right back.
When she sagged against him and the backs of his knees bumped the ice couch, he eased off.
‘Whoa! Landing on a sofa with you on top of me would normally be appealing, but on that?’
He winced. ‘I think we need to both be in one piece to celebrate our future properly.’
The corners of her eyes crinkled adorably. ‘So you think I’m going to go for your plan, huh?’
‘After I’ve bared my soul to you? Professed my undying love? Travelled around the world to prove it? Arranged all this—’
‘Okay, okay.’ She laughed, a joyous sound that echoed off the walls. ‘Yeah, I happen to think your plan is a good one.’
Holding her close, he nuzzled her neck. ‘Which part?’
‘All of it.’
He pulled back, searched her face for confirmation. ‘You mean—’
‘We’re getting married and we’ll live at Glacier Point and I’ll run Wild Thing with you and study by correspondence. Happy?’
He let out a loud whoop and spun her around until they were both breathless and laughing.
When they finally stopped, their parka zips had tangled and no amount of jiggling could release them.
‘Fate?’
He growled, renewed his efforts to free them. ‘Maybe. But you’ve got on too many clothes for what I have in mind.’
‘In here? Are you nuts?’
‘About you.’
He swooped in for another kiss as the zips gave and, despite his best efforts to stay upright, they fell onto the ice couch.
‘Ouch!’
He righted her, patted her down to check for injuries. Any excuse.
‘You landed on me and you’re complaining?’
In response, she wriggled in his lap and suddenly his butt wasn’t the only thing aching down there.
‘My hero.’
She batted her eyelashes at him and his heart gave a funny twinge at her antics. The same odd gripe since he’d let this special woman into his life.
‘And don’t you forget it.’
This time, their kiss packed enough sizzle to melt the entire room.
Neither cared.
Epilogue
JADE’S breath caught as she stared at the glacier in awe. She never tired of its majestic beauty and, though she’d seen it a hundred times over the last six months, every time was like the first.
‘What are you thinking?’
She gazed up at her gorgeous husband, rivalling the glacier in the stunning stakes.
‘Remember the first time you brought me here? The canoe and how we almost took a dunking?’
He laughed, a rich, vibrant sound that still had the power to reduce her insides to mush.
‘How could I forget? Funnily enough, I thought about jumping into that lake myself many times over the succeeding months. Anything to cool me down after facing the temptress you were. You drove me crazy, you know that?’
‘Drove? As in past tense?’
In response he crushed her lips beneath his, his kiss flooding her body with heat and sizzle and need.
‘Does that answer your question?’ he whispered against the side of her mouth.
At that moment a distant roar quickly turned thunderously loud.
‘Quick, look!’
He pointed at the glacier as a monstrous chunk of ice cleaved off the cliff face.
‘Wow…’
In all her time here she hadn’t seen the famed ice calving she’d heard so much about and witnessing nature’s grand display brought a lump to her throat.
Slipping his arms around her waist, she leaned back against him, his familiar, solid heat a comfort as always.
‘You’re awfully quiet.’
He brushed a kiss across her hair and she turned her head slightly, glanced up.
‘We’re two of the luckiest people on this planet,’ she said, tears of happiness stinging her eyes as his love for her shone clearly, rivalling the myriad rainbow colours over Davidson Glacier in its brilliance.
‘Yeah, we are.’
‘Uncle Re-e-e-s! We can see you!’
‘Sprung,’ he muttered as she laughed and slipped out of his arms in time to catch one of the twins barrelling towards them.
‘Hey, you guys, you just missed an ice calving.’
Polly, a precocious three year old, whispered loudly in her brother’s ear. ‘That’s silly. Only cows have calves.’
Squatting to the kids’ level, Rhys hugged them both close. ‘You know what? I reckon we should celebrate this occasion with some ice…cream! What do you say?’
Screams of ‘yay!’ filled the air as the lump in Jade’s throat expanded.
Rhys was so great with kids. She couldn’t wait to finish her degree and get started on another pressing project: adding to their family.
As Rhys tussled with the kids Callum and Starr arrived.
‘You missed—’
Callum smirked. ‘We didn’t miss it. We saw you two—’
Starr elbowed Callum. ‘And thought you deserved some privacy.’
‘Thanks.’
Callum jerked his thumb at the twins. ‘Try restraining those two. No mean feat, let me tell you.’
Jade smiled as Starr glanced at her kids, maternal pride adding to the perpetual glow the beautiful dancer had.
‘Rhys seems to be doing a fair job now.’
‘That’s because he gets to spoil them and play the generous uncle while I—’
‘Spoil them just as much.’ Starr rolled her eyes. ‘These Cartwright guys are putty in the right hands.’
Rhys glanced up at that moment and their gazes locked, Jade’s heart instantly jackknifing. ‘Tell me about it.’
With a fond grin at his wife, Callum shouted out, ‘Hey, Rhys. These two are ganging up on us.’
Rhys laughed. ‘Again?’
Polly tugged on Rhys’s hand. ‘I’m starving!’
Hamish joined the cry. ‘Me too!’
‘Salmon steaks for everyone.’ Jade slipped her hand into Rhys’s as the twins scampered ahead on the trail and Callum and Starr brought up the rear.
‘I like this place,’ Callum said, his teasing tone alerting her to another incoming brotherly missile. ‘Even a drifter like you can make a home with the right woman.’
‘Right back at you, bro.’
Rhys cocked his hand and made a firing gun sign as the brothers laughed.
Starr shrugged, smiled in a ‘what are we going to do with these bozos?’ grin.
Jade knew what she’d like to do with her husband, and as they reached the house he pulled her off to the side while Callum, Starr and the twins continued on.
‘Callum’s right. While I love this place, always have, you’re home to me.’
A second before his lips met hers, she whispered, ‘Right back at you.’
ISBN-13: 978-0-373-52815-8
HER BAD, BAD BOSS
Previously published in the U.K. under the title
Her Bad, Bad Boss
First North American Publication 2011
Copyright © 2010 by Nicola Marsh
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Chapter Eight
AFTER his monumental error in judgement on the canoe a few moments ago, Rhys needed to take his frustrations out on something. Right this very minute, he was looking at her.
‘You said you wanted to be one of the boys, right?’
Jade’s tongue flicked out to moisten her bottom lip, a kick in his libido following that stupid kiss. ‘Right.’
‘Then you need to bring all the life jackets from the top shed down here, make sure they’re all shipshape and store them in the locker over there. Think you can do it?’
He saw the flicker of doubt in her eyes, hoped she’d renege, capitulate. Then he’d have a legit excuse to fire her cute ass.
But before he could add to the challenge, she squared her shoulders, nodded. ‘Need anything else while I’m up there?’
‘Nope, just make it quick. We’ve got loads more to do.’
She hovered, her indecisiveness a clear indication she wanted to rehash that kiss and…what? Make excuses? Apologise? Ease the tension like last night in Skagway?
He turned his back before she could say anything, relieved when he heard her boots crunching on the gravel leading back to the path.
Waiting until he couldn’t hear her footsteps, he finally exhaled his pent-up frustration in a long, low curse. Jamming his hands into his parka pockets—the damn thing now smelt of her, thanks to his stupid chivalry—he started pacing the shore, kicking at stones, scuffing his boots.
He’d seriously screwed up out there.
She might have initiated that kiss, but he should’ve stopped it. He’d wanted to do the right thing, had almost pulled away, but something in her eyes had slammed into him where he least expected or wanted it. Deep down in a place he didn’t acknowledge existed any more.
He understood. Some jerk had done a number on her, she was on the rebound, wanting to assert her femininity, make sure she was still attractive and he happened to be the handiest guy around.
What he didn’t understand was his reaction.
Had he lost his mind? The last time he’d kissed a woman out here there had been disastrous consequences, the reason he hadn’t been back.
So what the hell was he doing?
Aiming a vicious kick at a large rock, he almost welcomed the stab of pain as he stubbed his toe. Anything to detract from the other pain; the pain of remembrance and how his careless actions had led to the death of a woman he cared about.
‘Here’s the first lot.’
Stunned, he turned to find Jade staggering down the path laden with enough lifejackets to outfit two canoes. He would’ve laughed if he weren’t so disgusted with himself.
He should help her, should get the boys to pitch in, but he wanted her to fail this test, wanted her to find it exhausting.
Hating himself more with every step away from her, he jerked a thumb towards the lockers. ‘Store them in there for now, get the rest, then do the inspection.’
Her mutinous glare had him crossing his fingers within his parka pockets but rather than stomp or yell—or, better, quit—she sent him a mocking salute before trudging back up the path into the forest.
Calling himself every name under the sun, he started checking the canoes, something the boys would do later, but needing to keep busy in an effort not to help Jade when she reappeared.
Determined not to crack, he kept his head down each time
he heard her, four trips in all, his hands aching from clenching in the effort not to assist.
When she squatted next to the locker and started inspecting the life jackets, he risked a glance and his heart twisted.
She was a mess, her face flushed an angry pink and covered in perspiration, her hair frizzy and bristling, her lips cracked from the cold.
As if sensing his guilt, she looked up, her gaze defiant, daring him to admit he’d been a bastard because of what had happened between them.
Instead, he stood, dusted off his hands and crossed to the locker, sat on a nearby log and pointed at the pile of jackets.
‘Better keep going. We haven’t got all day.’
She bit her lip, obviously swallowing a host of retorts, before clamping her mouth shut and refocusing.
That was when it hit him.
The pampered princess had guts. Grit and determination and the drive to really make a go of this.
He would’ve valued those traits in any other employee, had seen them in Claudia…but he didn’t want to compare her to Claudia, knew any slight similarities would only serve to make him harder on her.
After the way she’d handled her first test, she didn’t deserve that.
He had the problem, not her. It wasn’t just the kiss that had him so rattled. Uh-uh, it had started around the time he saw the genuine appreciation for this place in her eyes, her awestruck expression that told him she got it, that there was no place on earth as special as this.
Maybe he’d misjudged her? Was there more to the Princess than met his appreciative eyes? Only one way to find out.
‘What happened in Sydney?’
Jade stiffened, her fingers convulsing around the straps of the life jacket she was checking.
She’d rather discuss that cringe-worthy kiss where she’d more than embarrassed herself than rehash her past.
‘Nothing as important as getting this job done.’
She continued running her fingers along the straps, almost jumping out of her skin when he laid a hand on hers.
‘Leave them. I’ll get the boys to finish up.’
