Secrets and Solace (Love at Solace Lake Book 2)

by Jana Richards

  “Where did you hear that?”

  “A little birdie told me.” A long-legged, redheaded flamingo. “Is it true?”

  “Actually, I own fifty percent of the lodge and Harper and her sisters share the other fifty percent. It was Harper’s idea. Why are you asking about this now?”

  “It doesn’t matter. Not if you’re sure.”

  “I am. I love Harper. I’ve never met anyone like her. She doesn’t care about the money. She loves me for me. Do you know how rare that it?”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  He’d once believed Laura loved him that way, but he’d been wrong. Very wrong. He prayed Harper Lindquist cared as much for Ethan as he did for her, and that she wouldn’t abuse his love. “I want you to be happy.”

  “I will be. I already am.”

  Cam breathed a sigh of relief and clapped his brother on the shoulder. “Then, let’s go get you married.”

  As soon as they opened the door, Tessa launched herself at him, hugging him around the knees. “Daddy! We’ll be late for the wedding! Auntie Lydia says!”

  Cam hoisted her into his arms. She smelled like a sweet combination of baby shampoo and roses. Lydia and his teenage niece Carrie had curled Tessa’s long, dark hair into shining ringlets that bounced when she moved. She clutched her wicker basket with both hands as if afraid to lose some of the precious rose petals inside. The poufy, emerald green flower girl dress was silky in his hands and made Tessa look like a tiny princess. His little princess.

  Cam kissed her cheek, his heart overflowing with love for his child. “Don’t worry, pumpkin. They can’t start without the flower girl.”

  “Or the groom,” Ethan said.

  “Yeah, he’s kind of important to this endeavor,” his brother-in-law Graham added with a grin.

  “Come on, boys.” Lydia slapped Cam on the butt. “You can crack jokes later. Right now, we have a wedding to get to.”

  Lydia hustled them into the waiting limousine and they made the ten-minute trip to the lodge. Guests had started to arrive and were milling around the wedding tent they’d decorated that morning. Since the lodge was a construction zone, the tent had been the only solution. Cam wondered why Harper hadn’t opted for a fancier wedding at a posh hotel in the city or a destination wedding somewhere in the Caribbean. His brother would have given her anything she asked for.

  Maybe Ethan was right about the money not being important to her. He hoped so.

  “Harper said the bridesmaids would be waiting in the tent,” Ethan said. “You can take Tessa there.”

  He walked Tessa to the tent while the rest of the family made their way to the hill overlooking the lake where the ceremony was to take place. It was a beautiful summer afternoon, perfect for an outdoor wedding. The temperature was cooler in the shade of the trees surrounding the tent, the air scented with pine. As soon as he entered the tent his gaze locked with Scarlet’s. His breath caught in his throat. If he’d thought her attractive before, in shorts and a tank top, she was magnificent now in emerald silk. The color brought out the vivid red of her hair.

  Holding Tessa’s hand, he approached her. Harper’s youngest sister Maggie was there, as well. Where Scarlet had blue eyes and red hair, Maggie had dark brown hair and eyes.

  “Ethan said I was to bring Tessa here so she can walk to the ceremony with you.”

  Scarlet nodded. “Yes, of course—”

  “Daddy, I want to go with you!” Tessa clung to his leg.

  He put a hand on her head and tried to sooth. At five, she was very wary of people she didn’t know. Her mother’s constant stream of boyfriends probably didn’t help, he thought bitterly. “It’s okay, pumpkin.”

  Before he could say anything more, Scarlet stooped so she was at eye level with Tessa. “Of course, you can go with your daddy now if you want to. But maybe it would be fun to walk with my sister Maggie and me. My name is Scarlet. Remember, we met last night at the rehearsal dinner?”

  “Yes, I remember.” Tessa let go of his pant leg.

  “My sister Harper is going to marry your Uncle Ethan.”

  Tessa responded with an enthusiastic nod. “And I get to be flower girl.”

  “I know. It’s exciting, isn’t it?”

  Tessa nodded again.

  “If you come with me and Maggie to the ceremony, you can toss your rose petals on the ground as we walk up the aisle.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really. If you get nervous, you can hold my hand if you want to. We’ll all walk together to the same place where your daddy and Uncle Ethan will be. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  Scarlet extended her hand. “Let’s shake on it.”

  Without hesitation, Tessa put her hand in Scarlet’s. And just like that, she erased his daughter’s fears.

  He wasn’t sure if he should be grateful or worried.

  Scarlet rose to her full height, still holding Tessa’s hand. When she looked at him, the smiling face she’d presented to his daughter was gone. “Harper should be here any minute, then we’ll be joining you. It won’t be long.”

  Cam forgot to breathe. Scarlet’s skin was flawless and pale, the freckles he’d noticed earlier making her even more attractive. He had the insane desire to run his finger over her cheek and discover for himself if it felt as soft as it looked.

  “Harper is here,” Maggie said, breaking the spell.

  Cam blinked and looked over Scarlet’s shoulder. Harper had entered the tent through the back with Reese Hanson and his wife, who leaned heavily on a cane. He didn’t know that Reese, the general contractor on the lodge renovation, and Harper were so close.

  “Abby was our mother’s best friend,” Scarlet said, reading his thoughts.

  “Right. Ethan mentioned that.”

  Ethan had also told him that Harper’s parents had died in a boating accident when she and her sisters were very young. Maybe that’s why Scarlet connected with Tessa so easily. She would know what it was like to be a child and feel alone and scared.

  He forced himself to look away. “I should go. Bye, Tessa. I’ll see you in a couple of minutes.”

  “Bye, Daddy,” she said happily, still holding Scarlet’s hand.

  With one last glance at the two of them, he left the tent and made his way to the spot where the ceremony was to take place. Maybe he’d misjudged both Harper and her sister.

  CHAPTER THREE

  “And now to give the toast to the groom, please welcome our Maid of Honor, Scarlet Lindquist.”

  Scarlet rose to her feet and made herself smile at the Master of Ceremonies, Ethan’s brother-in-law Graham. She clutched her wineglass with sweaty palms. The second toast she’d had to give in as many days and her nerves were on edge. In her line of work, she often had to speak in public and make presentations to clients, but she was completely confident and in control in her work life.

  Right now, she was anything but in control. There was so much at stake, namely her sister’s happiness. If she said something Ethan, or his family, took offence to, it may affect Harper’s marriage.

  God, she hoped Harper was doing the right thing.

  Graham smiled encouragingly and handed her the mic. Scarlet’s hands shook as she began. “What can I say about Ethan? I haven’t known him long, but in that short time he’s demonstrated his generosity and kindness. And if you look over at the lodge construction site, you’ll know he’s a man who’s not afraid to take risks.

  “He’s also willing to take the biggest risk of all – love. Ethan accomplished a feat no other man has ever managed before. He made my sister fall in love with him. I know that if Harper loves him, he must be very, very special.”

  Her throat clogged with tears. She hadn’t expected to get so emotional. She paused for a moment and ducked her head. From the corner of her eye, she saw Cameron give her a reassuring wink. Surprised, she blinked at him, then raised her head and looked out at the fifty or so people gathered to celebrate the wedding.

  “On behalf o
f my sister Maggie, I’d like to welcome Ethan into our family.” She lifted her wineglass. “To the groom.”

  “To the groom.”

  With the exception of the bride and groom, everyone in the room stood and offered a toast. Scarlet noticed that once more Cameron’s wineglass was empty. Maybe he was more of a beer guy.

  Ethan got up from his chair and enveloped her in a hug. “Thank you,” he whispered. “Your welcome means a lot to me.”

  “Just make her happy, okay?”

  “I will. I swear.”

  Scarlet kissed his cheek. Despite the money, and despite the lies he’d told Harper when they’d first met, she believed him.

  When she and Ethan sat down, Graham spoke into the mic. “And now for the toast to the bride, I give you the best man, Cameron Hainstock.”

  Cameron got to his feet and walked to the podium, taking his empty wineglass with him. Butterflies danced in Scarlet’s stomach. She had no idea what he was going to say, but she hoped he didn’t embarrass Harper by making some crude remark about money.

  He stuck his hand in the pocket of his suit pants, looking every inch the confident, self-assured male. His grey suit jacket fit perfectly across his broad shoulders, the cut of the pants accentuating his lean hips and powerful thighs. Scarlet swallowed and looked away. The last thing she needed to obsess about was Cameron Hainstock’s body.

  “I don’t have any prepared remarks,” Cameron began. “But I wanted to say that I’ve never seen my brother happier. I wish both of you much success in the new venture you’ve embarked on with the lodge project. But mostly, I wish you much happiness in your life together. May you always love each other as much as you do right now.” He picked up his glass and held it high. “Welcome to the Hainstock clan, Harper. To the bride.”

  “To the bride.”

  Scarlet swallowed some of her wine, relieved no damage had been done. Harper rose to give Cameron a kiss on his cheek. Over Harper’s shoulder, he winked at her. When he sat down without looking her way again, she wondered if she’d imagined it.

  Ethan and Harper stood together at the podium holding hands. “We’d like to thank everyone for coming and for making this such a special day for us,” Ethan said.

  “We’d especially like to thank our families for everything they’ve done,” Harper said. She smiled at Scarlet and Maggie. “Thank you, my darling sister Maggie for all your work on the wonderful food you created, and to my work family over at Miller’s Resort for letting us use their kitchen to prepare it. It was a fabulous meal and I love you all.” She paused while people applauded. “And to my sister Scarlet, thank you for transforming this dreary tent into a beautiful fairy wonderland. If anyone could perform a miracle like that, it’s you. I love you both so much.” Her voice choked with emotion.

  Ethan put his arm around her shoulders and accepted the microphone from her. “I want to thank my family as well. For Cam, Drew and Tessa for being in our wedding party, for Graham’s skills as Master of Ceremonies, and to Carrie and Lydia for making us all look pretty and getting us to my wedding on time. Without your support, today and every day, I’m not sure how I’d get by. I love you all.” He waited while everyone applauded. “That concludes the speeches for this evening. Now we can party!”

  The dishes were quickly gathered and the food from the buffet tables packed in containers and taken away. The buffet tables were folded and removed from the wooden floor to allow for dancing. A four-piece band, set up in one corner of the tent, began to play. Graham, as Master of Ceremonies, announced the first dance.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. Ethan Hainstock will now dance their first dance as husband and wife.”

  The assembled group clapped and cheered as the bride and groom stepped onto the floor. The singer crooned the old Elvis song “I can’t help falling in love with you.” Ethan and Harper didn’t take their eyes off each other as they slowly waltzed their way around the small dance floor.

  “They look so in love,” Maggie whispered.

  Scarlet linked fingers with her sister. “I know.”

  Her chest tightened. The way Ethan was looking at Harper, like she was his life, his everything, made her chest ache with longing.

  She closed her eyes. You had your chance, and you threw it away. Twice.

  Graham spoke into the mic again. “Would the rest of the wedding party please join the happy couple?”

  Ethan’s nephew Drew was at Maggie’s side immediately, holding out his hand. Scarlet stifled a grin. He was a good-looking kid, but she was pretty confident he didn’t have a snowball’s chance in Hell with her beautiful younger sister.

  Maggie politely accepted his hand and let Drew lead her out onto the floor. A moment later, Cameron was beside her.

  “Would you like to dance?”

  She looked up at him. His mouth was unsmiling and his dark eyes didn’t give any hint as to what he was thinking. The idea of being in his arms caused gooseflesh to rise on her arms and her stomach to flutter in excitement.

  She gave herself a mental scolding. Stop it. She didn’t even like Cameron Hainstock. He could be abrupt and rude, and she still worried he’d cause Harper trouble in her marriage.

  But he was also over six feet of hard-muscled male and she was only human. A few butterflies in the stomach didn’t mean anything.

  Scarlet gave a quick nod and got to her feet. She suppressed a shiver when his hand rested on the small of her back. A moment later, they were out on the dance floor and she was in his arms.

  “I saw your face,” he said.

  “Excuse me?”

  “You were afraid I was going to say something to embarrass your sister during my toast.”

  There was no use denying it. “The thought had crossed my mind.”

  “I would never embarrass Ethan on the most important day of his life. He tells me he loves Harper, and I have to accept it.”

  Abrupt and rude. “How very big of you.”

  To her amazement, he laughed. The smile transformed his face, making him look years younger, and almost…nice.

  “You surprise me, Scarlet Lindquist.”

  “Really? How’s that?”

  “For one thing, you have a sense of humor.”

  “I’ll have you know, I have a fabulous sense of humor. Everyone says so.”

  “Secondly,” he said, ignoring her comment, “you were kind to my daughter. I appreciate that.”

  “She’s a sweet little girl. Why wouldn’t I be kind to her?”

  He kept his voice low. “Because I questioned the reason they were getting married so quickly.”

  Yep, abrupt and rude. “And you thought I’d try to get back at you through Tessa?”

  “The thought had crossed my mind,” he said dryly, mimicking her words.

  “Wow, you really have a low opinion of me, don’t you? You think I’m so petty I would be mean to an innocent child so I could stick it to you?”

  “Don’t take it personally. I’m suspicious of the motives of most women. I make an exception for my sister and my niece, and of course my daughter.”

  Scarlet stared up into his face. He was serious. He must have been hurt pretty badly for him to distrust the entire female gender. “Well, as long as it’s nothing personal.”

  He grinned and spun her around. Scarlet laughed. At least she knew where she stood with Cameron.

  Tessa ran out onto the dance floor and Scarlet watched as she tugged on Ethan’s suit jacket. He picked her up and twirled her and Harper in a circle. Harper laughed and kissed Tessa’s cheek.

  “She’s going to make you put her on your exception list,” Scarlet said. “You’ll never meet anyone more loving and genuine than Harper.”

  Cameron looked at her, then back at Harper, all traces of humor gone from his face. “I sure as hell hope you’re right.”

  Cam usually wasn’t much for dancing, but tonight was special. He danced with Lydia and Carrie and Maggie. He waltzed with Harper and told her she made his bro
ther very happy. The glow of pure joy on her face gave him hope for Ethan’s future. Maybe Scarlet was right about her.

  He danced with Scarlet several more times. He liked the way they fit together, the way she seemed to anticipate his every move. It was fun to have a partner so in sync with him.

  But it was only a dance.

  All three of the Lindquist sisters danced with Tessa and from what he could tell, his little girl had a ball. But it was nearly midnight, way past her bedtime. He looked around the tent for her.

  Apparently, his little princess had turned into a pumpkin. From across the tent, he saw her curled in Scarlet’s arms, sound asleep. Scarlet had kicked off her heels and stretched her legs onto another chair, but she had to be uncomfortable. As he walked toward them, before she realized he was watching, she kissed Tessa’s hair.

  The simple gesture was filled with tenderness and affection. A strong sensation of longing nearly brought him to his knees.

  He shook it off, angry with himself. It meant nothing. He’d only reacted that way because he’d never seen Laura show as much warmth toward Tessa. He forced himself to calm down before he approached Scarlet.

  With his emotions in check, he knelt beside her chair. “Hi.”

  “Hi,” she whispered. Her smile was tired. “Turns out Tessa is a party pooper. She told me she was going to dance all night, but here we are.”

  “Yeah. Here we are.”

  Their gazes met and locked. They were so close he could see green flecks in her blue eyes, smell her light floral perfume. He looked away and stood up. “I should get her home. The limo is waiting to take us back to my place.”

  Scarlet nodded. “She’s had a big day.”

  An older man stumbled towards them, stretching his hand toward Scarlet. “Miranda? Oh, God, you’re alive! I thought you were dead. I was so afraid you were dead.”

  The man had long graying hair and reeked of stale booze. He staggered into Cam, intent on reaching Scarlet. Cam grabbed his arm, not wanting this drunk to touch Scarlet or Tessa.

  “No Willy, I’m not Miranda,” she said gently. “I’m Scarlet, her daughter. My mother is gone, remember?”