The Lure of Love (10 page)

Jamie slumped
back in her chair. “You see, that’s where it doesn’t feel right to me. I feel
like I’m not contributing enough.”

“You have the
Lodge, and all the goodwill you’ve built up over the years. You own the land.
I’d say that’s a fair contribution.”

She twirled a
piece of hair around her finger. “I suppose…when you put it that way.”

He set down
his mug and steepled his fingers. “Okay. Let me play devil’s advocate. Tell me
what you don’t like about the deal.”

Jamie thought
for a moment. “Nothing.”

He spread his
hands. “Then what are you worried about? I’m not saying you should make up your
mind tonight, but unless and until you find something wrong with the deal, you
should at least give it some serious consideration.”

She relaxed
for the first time since this afternoon’s meeting. “You’re right. I’ll sleep on
it. Thanks, Craig.”

He drained
his mug and stood up. “I’d better get back and get some sleep. Evidently
there’s a hotshot pilot who’s going to take me flying tomorrow.”

She grinned
and rose. “I heard that, too.”

He held out
his hand and she took it. There was something comforting about slipping her
hand into his. What would it be like to have someone like Craig in her life?
Someone who seemed to like her just the way she was? He led her out to the
front porch and she reached for the light switch.

“Leave it.”
His husky voice sent shivers of delight skittering through her body. She looked
up to find him watching her with an intensity that took her breath away.

“I didn’t
expect to find someone like you here, Jamie.” He lifted her hair from her neck
and sifted his fingers through it. “And to think I thought you were a man
instead of a beautiful woman.”

She was glad
he couldn’t see the blush that crept up her neck. “I’m not beautiful.”

“To me you
are.” His thumb traced the line of her jaw with a delicate touch and he brought
his head down, his lips stopping inches away from hers. “You’re a breath of
fresh air.”

His lips
brushed against hers, teasing, tantalizing. A low moan of need rose in his
throat and he pulled her closer, slanting his mouth over hers, sending her
racing heart into overdrive.

His body was
long, lean and hard and for one wild moment Jamie wished she could crawl inside
him and stay there forever. In his arms she knew she was safe and secure.

He pulled
back and took a deep, shuddering breath. “I’d better go.” He dropped a quick
kiss on her lips and turned to the door. “What time will we be leaving
tomorrow?”

“Huh?”
Jamie’s head was spinning. “Oh, the flight. Let’s leave here around ten, okay?
And wear some comfortable walking shoes and bring a bathing suit.”

He paused,
one hand on the doorknob. “You’re not going to tell me where we’re going, are
you?”

She shook her
head. “Nope. Just be ready.”

She watched
him disappear into the darkness, taking her heart with him.

Brooke dug through
her bag for the small vial of perfume she always kept there. Her heart was
beating as if she’d just run a marathon and she told herself to slow down, but
the message wasn’t getting through.

You’re
being silly
, she told herself as she dabbed on some scent and raked her
fingers through her long, curly hair.
Billy just wants some company, that’s
all.

So why did
every molecule in her body disagree? Why did the air seem to sizzle between
them every time their eyes met? Why had she looked up every time the door
opened today, hoping to see him? And then when he’d finally walked in, why did
everything seem all right again?

“I believe
him when he says Slick Billy doesn’t exist any more,” she murmured to herself.
She powered down her computer and set out the security log for Larry. As she
crossed the lobby her thoughts went back to earlier in the evening. She’d been
touched by the way he interacted with the young ball player.

Her steps
faltered as realization dawned. Building the baseball diamond and creating a
safe, friendly environment for the children was Billy’s way of making up for
what had been missing in his own childhood. Her heart went out to the young
confused boy who’d waited in vain for his father to come back.

Was she any
different? Did this sudden urge to develop a spa stem from being rejected by
her father? Her background was eerily similar to Billy’s, but their goals were
different. Billy was re-creating a happy childhood environment, while she had
to admit that she might be trying to prove something to her father. Trying to
prove that she could do it on her own, that she didn’t need his approval. But
her desire to succeed came with a bonus; it was about more than just proving herself.
She’d grown fond of Jamie in the short time she’d known her, and had no doubt
that the spa would boost the bottom line of the Lodge. That was the real goal.

She looked
ahead into the gathering darkness and started walking again. Even if the spa didn’t
get off the ground, she’d enjoyed every minute of dreaming about it, planning
for it. Not only that, talking things over with Billy had allowed her an
insight into his character that she might not otherwise have seen. She hurried
across the narrow beach and stepped onto the dock.

“Brooke.” His
tone was more assured tonight. He was waiting for her at the corner of the
dock, a small light in his hand. It gave off a soft golden glow and he led her
to where he’d set up the two chairs. He placed the light on a table between the
chairs and she noticed two brandy snifters and a small bottle on the table.

He saw her
look at the bottle and his shoulders lifted slightly. “I thought maybe you’d
like a drink after your busy day.” He took her hand and gave her a light kiss
on the cheek.

She settled
into her chair. “It’s peaceful out here,” she said as she watched him pour.
“And you’re right. It
has
been a busy day.” She accepted the glass and
looked out over the water.

Billy sat
quietly beside her. She liked that about him; he didn’t need to be talking
constantly, like some men.

“What you did
today, that was nice,” she said finally. She swirled the liquid around in the
glass. “It must have cost quite a bit of money.”

He shrugged
again. “It was worth every penny to see those kids enjoy themselves. Besides,
Matt chipped in.” He turned thoughtful. “I was thinking that if it becomes a
permanent fixture near the campground, I should have a sign made.”

“What would
that be? The Billy Talbot Field?” She was teasing him, and he knew it.

He laughed.
“No. It would be the rules. Then nobody could argue.”

She didn’t
understand. “The rules?”

“Yes. A sign
stating that there are no rules. I’m sure you’ve heard stories about parents
taking over and ruining it for kids. I’d rather they didn’t play at all.”

She’d heard
the stories. “So that really happens?”

He nodded.
“Big time. I get riled up every time I hear about it.”

She took a
sip of brandy. “Well, tonight was absolutely perfect. There wasn’t a child or
an adult there who didn’t enjoy himself.”

“I thought so
too.” His eyes gleamed in the golden light. “Thanks for coming. Now enough
about me. Did you talk to Jamie about your idea?”

She filled
him in on the informal meeting. “She needs to think about it of course, but hopefully
she won’t take too long. She’s agreed to let me stock that little area in the
lobby with stuff.”

“Like what?”

“I’m going to
bring in items that women could use on their own in their rooms. Facials,
depilatories, nail care, foot care, hair treatments, things like that. And then
I’ll stock a few pieces of locally made jewellery and some fashion magazines.
That’s about all I have room for, but it’s a start.”

“I just
thought of something when you said hair treatment. Will you have a hair salon
as part of the spa?”

She thought
for a moment. “They take up a fair amount of space, but I’ve allowed for one. I
know if I were one of the women in the campground, I’d enjoy having my hair
done as a special treat. Some of them stay for several weeks.” She leaned
forward. “It sounds like you’ve been thinking about this.”

She wasn’t
sure, but she thought he coloured. “I’ve been thinking about
you
, Brooke.”
His voice turned husky. “I haven’t thought about much else since last night, to
tell you the truth.”

So she was
right; the connection was there. It wasn’t until that moment that she realized
how much she was attracted to him. “I thought about you, too. I was been hoping
to have breakfast with you this morning but you were a no-show.”

He chuckled.
It was a deep, sexy sound that curled her toes. “I was avoiding you.”

“Why?”

“Because I
was afraid that no matter what I’d told you, you still believed the rumours
about me. You see, in my twisted mind I reasoned that as long as you hadn’t
told me to back off, there was a chance that you might be interested.”

She didn’t
hesitate. “I’m interested.” She paused, wondering if her next words might turn
him off, but they had to be said. “I might not be ready to jump into bed with
you just yet, but I’m definitely interested.”

He stood up
and held out a hand. “I can wait.” There was nothing tentative about his
answer.

She rose and placed
her hand in his. His gaze held hers with an intensity that was almost
frightening. Then he gave her a gentle tug and she went into his arms. He
hesitated for only a moment and then lowered his head, kissing her with a
passion that took her breath away. Contentment seeped into every part of her
body; wrapped in his arms she knew she’d finally found a man to love.

When he
finally raised his head his face was mostly in darkness, but his voice was
thick with emotion. “I’ve wanted to do that from the first moment I saw you.
You were surrounded by guests checking in, and I wanted to send them all away
and have you to myself.” He picked her up and swung her around, then put her
back down. “So if this spa goes through, you’ll be living here?” He punctuated
his question with a quick kiss, but she could tell his mind was somewhere else.

“I’d pretty
well have to, don’t you think?”

“Uh-huh. So I
guess that means I have to find a place near here.”

She smiled at
him. “Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself? We’ve only just met.”

“True, but if
I’m going to convince you that I’m the man for you, I have to be around.” He
grinned the boyish grin that had attracted her on the first day. “Brooke
Stephens, I’m putting you on notice. I won’t rest until you tell me you love
me.”

He kissed her
again. She didn’t tell him that it was too late; he’d already captured her
heart.

* * *

Leeza took
one last look around the kitchen. It wasn’t her job to do the evening clean-up
but she was a stickler for cleanliness and when she became chef, she had
adopted the habit of doing a final evening check. The equipment was clean and
ready for breakfast. At least Marta would be back tomorrow. The breakfast cook
was unflappable; a valuable trait at any time of the day, but especially at
breakfast.

She pushed
through the doors and walked into the dining room. Had it been just this
morning that she’d sat there with Matt, listening to his story? It seemed like
such a long time ago, and yet she remembered every word, every inflection of
his voice.

Her cell
phone sounded, cutting off her reverie. She looked at the call display and her
heart started to pound. She tried a couple of quick, calming breaths but it
didn’t work. She answered breathlessly. “Hello?”

“Leeza.” Just
that single word made her weak with desire. How did he manage to do that? “Where
are you?”

“I’m in the
Lodge. Where are you?”

“Have you
finished for the day?”

What was he
up to? “Yes, but you didn’t answer my question. Where are you?”

“Go out the
front door.”

Something
propelled her feet out the door.

“Go down the
stairs and turn left. Go back toward your cottage.”

“But where
are you?” He was toying with her and she couldn’t decide whether to be angry or
delighted. Playfulness wasn’t one of her traits, but with Matt, she could learn
to like it.

“I’m watching
one of the most spectacular sights on the planet.” He was silent for a moment.
“Kind of reminds me of you.” He disconnected.

She followed
the landscaping lights that dotted the path to the cottages. She, Jamie and
Brooke each had a cottage to themselves; it was a generous side benefit of
working at the Lodge.

Where was he?
She pulled up even with her cottage and watched for movement in the darkness.
To her right was the road leading out of the resort and beyond that, the new
baseball diamond. Instinct told her he wasn’t there.

She went
forward another few feet. The level area where they’d built the baseball
diamond extended to this side of the road, but she could see nothing there.

“Okay, that’s
enough,” she called into the darkness, trying to sound serious. “You’re
starting to try my patience.” Her eyes were adjusted to the dark now. She was
turning to go and search the area around her cottage when a light caught her
eye. It was at ground level, waving back and forth.

“Matt?” She
walked toward the light. “What in the world…” She stopped. It was the light
from his cell phone and he was lying flat on his back on the ground.

“Come join
me.” He patted the space beside him and she realized that he’d spread out some
sleeping bags. This was the last thing she’d expected.

“Are you
drunk?” She sat down beside him. He didn’t seem drunk.

“Nope.” He
was looking at the sky. “At least not with alcohol. Come on, lie down.”