Return to Rose Cottage

by Sherryl Woods

  Jo laughed. “I’m pretty sure love and passion don’t require a lot of thinking. You’re supposed to go with the flow. Not that I would know, of course, my own love life being what it is.”

  “Which is?” Ashley asked, eager to steer the subject away from her own problems.

  “Not something I care to discuss,” Jo said emphatically, in a way that only stirred worry that there was something she was hiding.

  Even through her concern, Ashley had to admire her baby sister. No matter how complicated her life got, Jo simply dealt with it. They usually didn’t know until much, much later that Jo’s emotional life was in turmoil. She was quiet and steady as a rock.

  “If you change your mind, I’m here,” Ashley said, fully aware that she was wasting her breath.

  “I know that. I know I can depend on all of you.”

  “You just choose not to,” Ashley said.

  “It’s not that I wouldn’t value your advice or your support,” Jo said. “It just makes it more difficult to know my own mind if there’s all this sisterly clamor going on around me.”

  “Fair enough. I suppose we could listen without offering advice,” Ashley offered.

  “That’ll be the day,” Jo said with a laugh. “Maybe one leopard could change its spots, but three? Not a chance.”

  “Okay, then,” Ashley said briskly. “Thanks for filling me in. I’ll be in touch.”

  “If you aren’t, I’m coming down there and bringing Mom and Dad with me. We’ll circle the wagons.”

  “Heaven forbid!” Ashley said, truly aghast at the notion.

  Jo chuckled. “Thought that would provide sufficient motivation for you to call home more often. Love you.”

  “You, too, brat.”

  She hung up the phone slowly and realized she was smiling, despite everything. She might not want her family hovering, but it meant the world to know that they were there if she needed them.

  7

  Josh arrived at Rose Cottage by 7:00 a.m., but Melanie and Maggie had beaten him there. He spotted their cars as he crossed the backyard from the dock. Something told him that word of Ashley’s latest crisis had spread despite his own attempts to keep it under wraps during Mike’s visit. He was beginning to realize that the D’Angelo grapevine was an efficient means of communication. He hadn’t decided yet if that was good or bad.

  He tapped on the back door and walked in to find all three sisters at the kitchen table. Ashley looked as if she were under siege. She turned to him so eagerly, it made his heart skip a beat or two. He wished he could believe that welcome was specifically for him, and wouldn’t have been given to anyone who’d walked in the door just then.

  “Time to go?” she asked, leaping to her feet. “I’m ready.”

  “Not so fast, big sister,” Maggie said. “Josh, perhaps you would like a cup of coffee before you go?” It wasn’t really a question. She was already pouring the coffee, and the determined glint in her eyes was more command than inquiry.

  Josh glanced at Ashley and caught the pleading expression in her eyes. Even though he understood and shared her sisters’ well-meaning concern, he opted to side with her for now. “Sorry. No time. We have an appointment.”

  “With some fish,” Melanie noted dryly. “I didn’t know they kept date books. I imagine they won’t be all that disappointed if you’re a little late.”

  “These are very busy fish,” Josh retorted, undaunted by her undisguised skepticism. “And you know what they say about early birds.”

  “They get the worm,” Maggie responded. “Which I don’t think applies in this instance.” She frowned at Ashley, then relented. “Okay, go, but we’re not finished with you.”

  “I think I got that,” Ashley said, sounding resigned.

  “What time will you be back?” Maggie asked Josh.

  “Hard to say,” he responded evasively, suspecting they would be waiting on the doorstep if he gave them a specific hour. “With this whole relaxation thing, we try not to think in terms of timetables.”

  Maggie rolled her eyes. “Oh, please,” she scoffed. “I don’t know about you, but my sister’s brain is equipped with an automatic day planner. I’m relatively certain she has no idea how to turn it off.”

  “I’ve noticed,” Josh admitted. “We’re working on that. She’s already made impressive strides. You’d be surprised.” He beamed at both of them. “See you.”

  He stepped aside to let Ashley bolt past him. She was halfway to the dock before he caught up with her. To his shock, she threw her arms around his neck.

  “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she enthused. “Your timing was impeccable. I told them you were coming, but they didn’t believe me. They thought I was just trying to get rid of them.”

  He grinned. “Which you were.”

  “Well, of course.”

  “I gather someone filled them in about the whole Slocum situation.”

  “My folks,” she admitted. “Had to be, since Jo hadn’t been able to reach them. She reluctantly agreed not to call again, but Mom and Dad refused to commit to silence.”

  “Then you have spoken to your folks since last night?”

  “Yes. After I talked to Jo and found out they were being pestered by reporters, I had to call them. I was trying to convince my father to limit himself to ‘no comment.’”

  Josh heard the combination of frustration and amusement in her voice. “A thankless task?” he guessed.

  “You have no idea,” she said ruefully. “He’s been using this opportunity to vent about media irresponsibility. I suppose I should be grateful. It’s doubtful any reporter will call him a second time.” She gave him a wistful look. “Can we table this subject till later? Maybe reinstitute the rules of our bet and keep work off-limits? I’ve done nothing but think about this mess all night long. I could use a break from it.”

  He noted the dullness in her eyes and the shadows under them.

  “Absolutely,” he told her. “In fact, once we anchor offshore, you can take a little nap, if you like.”

  She gave him a surprisingly indignant look. “You’re assuming I won’t be catching any fish today?”

  He chuckled. “You don’t even have to cast your line, unless you really want to. Remember, the object is to sort of drift along, watch the clouds roll by and relax. Fishing is just an excuse to leave all your cares behind and be out on the water on a beautiful day.”

  “I wish I could,” she said wistfully.

  “You’ll get the hang of it,” Josh promised. “Sometimes relaxing takes a little effort.”

  She frowned at him. “Isn’t that an oxymoron or something?”

  “I suppose it is, if you feel the need to analyze it to death.”

  She nodded, her expression serious. “Got it. No analyzing. No thinking. Just drifting.”

  “Exactly.”

  She settled back against the cushion he’d propped on the seat, tugged down the brim of her cap and closed her eyes. Josh watched as her tensed muscles finally began to relax. Her bare legs and arms were turning a golden brown and her cheeks had a healthy glow, even if it couldn’t quite dispel the evidence of her exhaustion. Silently, he waited for her breathing to fall into a slow, steady rhythm.

  Just when he thought she’d fallen asleep, she murmured, “Josh?”

  “What?”

  “Don’t you dare catch a fish while I’m taking a break.”

  “Why not? It’s my turn. You’ve caught all the others.”

  Her lips quirked in undisguised triumph. “Oh, right, I have, haven’t I? I’ve caught three, and you haven’t caught any.”

  He barely contained a laugh. “And you felt the need to remind me of that because…?”

  “Knowing I’m ahead makes it easier to rest.”

  “Then, by all means, gloat,” he replied quietly. “I can take it.”

  “You’re a nice man,” she said.

  Josh sighed. There it was again. Nice. One of these days he was going to have to get aroun
d to showing her just how wicked he could be. Something told him that with Ashley in his arms, he could top his very best efforts to date.

  The instant Ashley woke up from her nap, she peered into the bucket of salt water. “No fish?” she asked Josh, trying to keep a gloating note out of her voice. It wasn’t her fault that she’d turned out to have a knack for it that he seemed to lack.

  “Actually I caught five whoppers,” he said. “Threw them all back.”

  “Yeah, right. Speaking of whoppers…”

  “Hey, I did,” he insisted, his expression perfectly serious. Only the twinkle in his eyes gave him away. “How was your nap?”

  “Restful,” she admitted.

  “Good.”

  “What time is it? How long did I sleep?”

  “A couple of hours, actually. It’s almost ten. I was about to slather some more suntan lotion on you.”

  She grinned. “Sounds like fun,” she teased, handing him the bottle. “Just pretend I’m asleep.”

  “But you’re not. You could do it yourself.”

  “Come on, Josh. Go along with me here. Be daring.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Okay, sweetheart, you want to take risks, it’s fine with me.” He took the outstretched bottle, poured lotion in his palm, then told her to turn around.

  Ashley jerked when the cool lotion hit her bare shoulders. In a heartbeat, though, she wasn’t even aware of the lotion, only of Josh’s hands on her skin. It was evident that he had no intention of making quick work of the application. He stroked slowly. He caressed. He sent goose bumps dancing across her flesh until Ashley could hardly breathe.

  When his fingers dipped into the low V on her back, skimmed down her spine, then slipped just beneath the fabric of her swimsuit, she almost jumped right out of the boat. He’d turned her taunt into a torment, a seduction. She could feel her nipples beading. Warmth pooled between her thighs. She closed her eyes and sucked in a breath, aware that they were playing a very dangerous game, one he’d apparently anticipated.

  “Enough?” Josh asked, his voice suspiciously thick, even though it was evident he was taunting her.

  Ashley wasn’t quite ready to call it quits. Somehow he’d gotten the upper hand. She wanted it back. “You forgot the front,” she told him, slowly turning to face him.

  His gaze locked with hers, his eyes glinting wicked sparks. “Do you really, really want me to go on?”

  Swallowing hard, she nodded.

  He squirted more lotion into his palm, then smoothed it across her chest. His fingers skimmed along the edge of her bathing suit, then took a sudden dip into the cleavage.

  “Wouldn’t want you to get burned there,” he murmured, holding her gaze. “That’s very tender skin.”

  “Uh-huh,” she whispered as he shifted his attention to her arms. He seemed to be intent on the soft, pale and surprisingly sensitive underside.

  “What about your legs?” he inquired eventually. “Shall I do those?”

  Ashley figured she could stand it if he could. “Sure,” she said, determined to play out the game she’d started.

  Of course, she hadn’t realized just how long he could draw out the process. He didn’t miss so much as a freckle or a pore, not from the tips of her toes to the tops of her thighs. She was all but coming unglued when he finally pronounced the job done. It took everything in her not to beg him not to stop.

  “Thank you,” she said primly. “You were very thorough.”

  “Any job worth doing is worth doing well,” he said, a knowing sparkle in his eyes.

  She couldn’t seem to make herself meet his gaze. “How safe is this water?” she asked.

  “For what?”

  “Swimming.”

  “Safe enough. Why?”

  Without bothering to respond, she dove over the side of the boat. The water was colder than she’d anticipated, but it felt good against her overheated skin. She finally broke the surface gasping for air, but with her hormones back in check.

  “Cool off?” Josh inquired, amusement threading through his voice.

  “Sure did,” she said cheerfully. “You should try it.”

  “No, thanks.”

  “Chicken?”

  “You are not going to dare me to dive in there with you,” he scolded.

  “I just did,” she corrected. “I guess you’re not up to the challenge.”

  “Oh, darlin’, that was a very bad idea, especially coming from a woman who just washed off most of the suntan lotion she had me put on. Are you angling for an other application?”

  She saw the worrisome spark of mischief in his eye right before he dove overboard. Just when she was wondering where he was going to surface, he grabbed her ankle and pulled her under. She came up sputtering.

  “You rat!” she accused. “That was playing dirty.”

  “I wasn’t aware there were any rules for this particular game,” he said, bobbing just beyond her reach. “You gonna get even?”

  Her teeth were starting to chatter, but she rose to the bait. “You bet,” she said, diving below the surface.

  She was so sure he was right in front of her, but the next thing she knew, he’d circled her waist from behind and lifted her out of the water. She shook the hair and water out of her eyes as he slowly turned her around to face him. As her body slid along his, she realized that he was totally and impressively aroused. He fit their bodies together with only the wafer-thin fabric of her swimsuit and his between them, then captured her mouth beneath his. By the time the kiss ended, Ashley was on fire.

  She clung to his shoulders and looked into his eyes. “How is it possible to be this hot when the water’s like ice?”

  “Makes you wonder why there’s not steam rising all around us, doesn’t it?”

  “Oh, yes,” she said, not ready to move away from him. Buoyed by the water, she hooked her legs around his waist.

  Josh’s gaze narrowed. “What are you up to now?”

  “Just holding on,” she insisted innocently.

  “Just tormenting me sounds more like it,” he retorted.

  She grinned. “Is it working?”

  He shifted ever so slightly. “What do you think?”

  “Definitely working.”

  “Are you thinking it’s safe to play this kind of game out here because nothing will come of it?” he inquired curiously.

  She thought about that. “Yes,” she admitted.

  “Then you have no intention of going back to dry land and finishing what you’ve started?”

  Taking the question seriously, she gave it some thought. “It’s not that I don’t want to,” she began.

  “Same here,” he said. “But we’ve agreed that the timing is all wrong.”

  She nodded, suddenly feeling guilty. “Sorry. I’m not playing fair, am I?”

  “It’s not about playing fair,” he said. “It’s about playing with fire. If you’re counting on me being a nice guy and keeping the game under control, don’t. Even I have my limits, Ashley, and you are most definitely testing them.”

  Ashley heard the somber note in his voice and realized she’d pushed too far. Maybe she’d meant to. Maybe she’d needed to, but it wasn’t all about her desires. For things to go any further, they really, really needed to be on the same page at the same time.

  “How about lunch?” she asked, scrambling back into the boat and pulling a shirt on over her swimsuit. She shivered, despite the warmth of the sun. “I’ll buy.”

  Josh was a little slower getting back in the boat. Once he was seated across from her, he met her gaze, the faint beginnings of a smile tugging at his lips.

  “Scary, isn’t it?” he asked.

  She gave him a puzzled look. “What?”

  “Realizing how much you want me.”

  She couldn’t help it. She immediately rose to the challenge. “No more than you want me,” she retorted, casting a pointed look at the unmistakable evidence. “But lunch is what’s on the agenda, pal.”

  “The
n I think I’ll go with a steak sandwich. Something tells me I’m going to need all the stamina I can get as long as you’re around.”

  She shuddered at the promise behind the words. They were going to make love. Perhaps not today, or even tomorrow, but there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that neither of them had the willpower to resist the inevitable forever.

  By the time they got back to Rose Cottage, Josh was still shaken by the force of his need for Ashley. When she climbed onto the dock, he stayed right where he was.

  “You’re not coming in?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “I’m going home to change. I’ll be back to get you in a half hour.” After he’d spent twenty minutes of that time in a cold shower. He wasn’t hopeful that it would have the desired effect, since a soaking in the icy bay hadn’t done a blessed thing to cool off his ardor.

  “I’ll be waiting,” she said, her knowing gaze filled with amusement.

  Unfortunately, back at his place there were three messages from Creighton Williams, each sounding more urgent than the one before. Reluctantly, he called the office.

  “You need to get back to Richmond this afternoon,” his boss said without preamble.

  “I’m on vacation,” Josh reminded him yet again. It was typical of Creighton to forget, the minute Josh’s absence became an inconvenience, that he’d signed off on the vacation request.

  “Not anymore,” his boss said. “I need you here.”

  “Why?”

  “The judge is moving up the hearing on the Bartholomew acquisition.”

  “That’s your client,” Josh reminded him. “Not mine.”

  “I need you here,” his boss insisted. “You know how much Frank Bartholomew respects you. He’ll listen to you.”

  “That’s very flattering, but I repeat, he’s your client. I’m sure he respects you even more. You’ve handled his legal matters for years.”

  Confronted with an indisputable fact, Creighton backed down. “Okay, that’s not the only reason I want you back here,” he admitted.

  “I think you’d better explain, then.”

  “It’ll give you a chance to get together with Stephanie face-to-face and work out this ridiculous argument before it’s too late to fix things.”