Guiding the Fall Read Online Free Page A
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When her last day at the shop ended and she walked into her apartment, she felt a smile tugging her lips when she spotted Lyle sitting at his makeshift desk in the kitchen. “Honey, I’m home!” she sang out.
“Very funny,” Lyle said before shutting down his computer. “How was your day?” he asked in the same satirical tone she’d used.
Olivia plopped on the couch and stretched out her legs. “Not bad considering I’m not going back.”
“Huh?”
“I start my student teaching on Monday. I’m officially a molder of young minds.”
“God save the children. What grade?”
“Seventh.”
“Middle school?” Lyle asked. “Seriously?”
“Yes. I like middle schoolers. They’re still young enough to be kids but smart enough to want to learn. I loved going to middle school.”
“That’s because the boys found you in middle school.” Lyle went to the fridge, pulled out two bottled beers, and popped the tops before delivering one to Olivia on the couch. She admired the label. Maybe having Lyle around wasn’t so bad after all.
“Thanks. So how was your day?” Olivia asked, and then chuckled. “God, this seems weird. Is this what it’s like to be married?”
He flashed his dimples. “You’re asking me?” He sat on the chair facing Olivia. “My day was good. I got in a nice long run this morning and spent the rest of the afternoon mired in all things Jack Forrester.”
“Who?”
“He’s a young, very affluent former hedge fund manager out of Denver. I’m writing his biography.”
Olivia wrinkled her nose. “How boring.”
“Not really. This guy is fascinating.”
“I thought you wrote fiction. Jill said something about mysteries.”
“I do write fiction, but this is a paying job, and until the fiction starts paying, I’m opting for the money.” Lyle crossed his ankles over the coffee table and nestled his beer between his knees.
“So what’s so fascinating about Jack Forrester?”
“He was one of the youngest hedge fund guys in the country. Wildly successful, especially considering his humble upbringing.”
“How humble? Westmoreland humble or Lower Fork humble?” Comparing the commercial center of the valley to the recreational outpost that was Lower Fork seemed like a good enough spread on the humble continuum.
“As best I can find, Lower Fork humble, if not worse.”
“Humm. Okay, that’s mildly interesting. Go on.”
“He put himself through school—some no name community college in one of the Jersey burbs—and started at an entry level position at one of the top brokerage firms in New York City. Either he had connections I haven’t discovered yet or he’s one hell of a salesman, but he got the job and sailed to the top in only two years. I’d say at the top of his game, he was pulling in tens of millions.”
“A year?”
Lyle nodded and took quick sip, not wanting to slow the momentum of his story. “Then he left the firm and went out on his own in Greenwich, Connecticut, basically giving everyone who’d given him a helping hand the finger on his way out the door.”
“Ballsy. Gotta respect that kind of confidence. Of course, I wouldn’t care about pissing people off if I was pulling in seven figures.”
“The guy was money. Everything he touched turned to gold.”
“Why are you speaking in the past tense? Did he die?”
“Nope. He’s alive and kicking.”
“Well, you’ve hooked me, master story teller. What’s the catch?”
“He disappeared, just dropped right off the radar when the money guys pulled out.”
“Why they pull out?”
Lyle shrugged. “It’s not uncommon for these guys to drop from fame. They get on a losing streak or take up with a super model and get distracted. When you’re that big a fish, investors want to know you’re laser focused on making them money and not chasing a piece of tail.”
“Nicely put. So did he lose his lady luck or take up with a lady?
“Some sort of medical issue. I can’t find any evidence that points to exactly what.”
“Huh. And now he’s in Denver? What happened to his firm?”
“Shut it down, moved out here, and from what I can gather, he’s just managing his own money.”
“If he was raking in tens of millions—”
“More like hundreds at the peak,” Lyle said.
Olivia whistled. And she’d considered her dad loaded. What a joke. “I’ll bet he’s got plenty of his own money to manage.” Olivia felt her phone vibrate a second before she heard it ring. She pulled the phone from her pocket and held up a finger for Lyle. “It’s Jill. Hang on just a sec.”
“Olivia?” Jill whimpered.
“Jill?” Olivia sat up as her mind whirled in twenty directions. “What’s wrong?”
“Ty and I had a fight. I’m sorry to call you like this, but I need to talk to someone who’s not related to him.”
Olivia’s heart rate began to level from the spike it had taken when she’d imagined a dozen scenarios that ended with a funeral. “Tell me what happened.” She stood up to walk to her bedroom. Some conversations weren’t meant for men to overhear. She patted Lyle on the shoulder. “Mr. Perfect was bound to screw up sooner of later.”
Chapter 9
Ty Bloodworth sat behind his desk, reviewing the syllabus he’d updated for his Introduction to Economics classes scheduled to begin in less than a week. He’d landed a pretty good schedule, enrollment was up, and he was more than prepared to teach two intro level classes and assist a professor with a couple of third-year classes. His schedule left him plenty of time to get his fly fishing business off the ground. He should have been on top of the world—he would have been—if he and Jill hadn’t had their first fight.
It was destined to happen. Despite the fact they felt as though they’d been together for years, they’d only been in love for months. Less than six months. The amount of time they’d been together didn’t factor into the way he felt. Loving Jill and making a life with her were the most important things in his life.
He may have overreacted when she’d gone for a run and he couldn’t get in touch with her. She was smart, and after their discussions in Colorado about keeping herself safe and aware on her runs, he should have known she wouldn’t leave the house without her phone and a way to protect herself. Logic didn’t matter when he’d panicked and put out an APB on her throughout Sequoyah Falls.
Jill didn’t appreciate the police escort she’d received home. He shoved away from his desk and stood up to brood by the window. In a few days, the campus would overflow with college students eager to begin their future. Since he and Jill had aired every bit of worry from their consciences, he had a whole new issue to feel anxious about in addition to his job performance. A knock at the door had him spinning around. “Come in.”
Ty recognized the engagement ring he’d picked out for Jill on the hand waving a white tissue in the gap between the door and the jam. “Truce?” she said before peeking her head inside. “I come in peace.”
She must have felt comfortable with the ear-splitting grin on his face because she stepped inside and closed the door. She wore his favorite sundress, a bold tangerine that made her skin glow with health. “I didn’t think you’d come by today,” he said.
“And ruin our tradition? It takes a stronger woman than me to resist the allure of our weekly date.”
Ty skirted the desk and gathered her in his arms. “I’m sorry about last night.”
“Me, too,” she said into his shirt where she’d buried her face. She let out a big breath, lifted her face to his, and flashed her toothy smile. “I know you were worried about me. I should have been more understanding.”
He rested his forehead on hers. “I should have thought about the fact that cell coverage isn’t great on some of the trails and waited before I alerted everyone you were missing.”
“I had my mace and I called you the second I saw the missed calls.”
“I know. I’d already gone off the deep end by then.”
She stepped out of his arms and walked around his desk. He didn’t like her putting a physical barrier between them. “I said some things last night in the heat of our fight I wish I hadn’t.”
He sat in the plastic chair opposite his desk so she’d understand he was ready to listen. He wasn’t sure how to assuage her fears. “So let’s talk about it now. When we’re not fighting. Because I know you wouldn’t have said it if you didn’t mean it.”
“I trust you, Ty. I’ve never had any reason to doubt you.”
“I hope I never give you reason. I love you, Jill.”
“I know you do, Ty. Hell, everyone in Sequoyah Falls knows you love me after last night.”
He could only suck in a breath and let the moment pass. She needed to tell him why she felt scared.
She lifted her hands and let them fall at her side. “You don’t have any idea the affect you have on women.”
He let out a barking laugh. “Jill…”
“No, Ty, I’m serious. You’re gorgeous. I used to think you were pretending you didn’t know what you look like, but I realized you really don’t know or just don’t care. I don’t know how you couldn’t know, but it just doesn’t affect you. But the way you look affects the way women react to you. Women of all ages. You’re a chick magnet.”
“The only chick I’m trying to attract is you.”
“And you’ve got me. You know that.”
“You’ve got me, too, Jill. You have to know that. After everything we went though last week, how can you not know that?”
“I do, but that doesn’t mean I don’t worry. You’re teaching college. I’ve been to college. If I’d had an instructor who looked like you, I’d have made a lot more visits during office hours.”
He tilted his head and studied her. “No, you wouldn’t have. You’re too principled to hit on your teacher.”
“Okay, okay. You’re right. I’m a bad example, but most women—young women—wouldn’t hesitate to hit on you.”
“Jill, I hate talking about the way I look because it makes me feel like it’s something special. It isn’t. I was born this way. I didn’t do anything to earn it, and it makes me uncomfortable.”
“I know that and I can’t tell you how incredibly appealing that is.”
“But?”
“But that doesn’t mean women won’t hit on you. In droves. I remember the walking hormones we all were during my four years at school.” She sighed and fell into his desk chair. “Some people like you and Olivia are born so beautiful you attract attention whether you want it or not. Olivia uses it to her advantage, in part because she’s a woman and in some ways—in a lot of ways—it gives her a leg up. You ignore it like it doesn’t exist and that works for you. As the woman who’s desperately in love with you, I can’t ignore it.”
“I’ve been hit on before and I know how to deflect. Not only would I never jeopardize our relationship, but getting involved with a student would be a huge violation of my teaching contract. I’m not stupid enough to jeopardize you or my career for a piece of ass. Thank God you’re not my student. For you, I’d risk just about anything.”
She gave a defeated smile. He got up and came around the desk, swiveling her chair so their knees bumped. He grabbed her hands and pulled her up, holding her waist. “I wish I could reassure you that my teaching here won’t affect our marriage. I love you. I’m not interested in any other woman. At some point, we’re going to have to trust each other.” He dropped a kiss on her nose. “And every man in a fifty mile radius is jealous as hell that the beautiful girl they’ve seen around town is taken.”
“Exactly.” She pointed at her engagement ring. “Everyone knows I’m yours.”
“In two months—”
“Almost three,” Jill interrupted.
“I can wear your ring and everyone will know I’m yours, too. If you change your mind, I can wear it now.”
“No.” She looked at him with mournful eyes that melted his heart. “We made a decision for the right reasons. I don’t want to tell everyone now. I can wait, but I don’t have to be happy about it.”
“Do you have to get back to the restaurant?” he asked as he nestled his lips below her ear. She smelled as though she’d rolled in a field of wildflowers. “We can grab some lunch.”
“Your mom knew I was upset and told me to take my time.” She jerked her head up and pushed his hands away. After two steps, his door was locked and a wicked grin transformed her mouth from pouty to sex-starved.
“What are you doing?”
“We had a fight and we just made up. We have to have make-up sex.”
“Here? Right now?”
Her cheeks were flushed and her breathing sounded ragged. “Now.” She scanned his desktop for collateral damage and tossed his laptop onto his chair. “You ravaged me in my office. I’d say turnabout is fair play.” He groaned when she cupped him. “Besides, someone’s locked and loaded.”
“I love it when you talk dirty.” He lifted her onto his desk, hiking her skirt in the process. His hand slipped inside her panties and he swallowed hard. “Target’s engaged.”
“Oh, yeah.”
“You can’t scream,” he warned.
She mimed locking her lips and throwing away the key. Just to be safe, he covered her mouth with his and swallowed her cry as he plunged.
Later, sated and panting, she lay sprawled on his desk, her dress akimbo and her hair mussed. She looked just the way he liked her: well-satisfied and sexy as hell. “Oh my,” she said. “That was one hell of a lesson.”
“That’s because you’re a model student.”
“And you, sir, are an excellent teacher.” She sat up and planted a wet kiss on his lips. “I’m aiming for an A.”
“Sweetheart,” he lifted her off the desk, “that was A+ work. Don’t tell anyone, but you’re the teacher’s pet.”
“Just as long as I’m the teacher’s only pet.”
“Only you, Jill. Forever.”
Chapter 10
Jack stepped out of the car and took a deep breath through his nose. “Wow, it smells so… pungent here. The grass, the hay, the land, it’s so vital.”
Erica snickered and took his arm, leading him across the yard to the house’s front porch. “It smells like a farm.”
He stopped after a few steps and stuck his face in the air. “Feel that wind?” He wagged his eyebrows. “Now I smell money.”
“That’s because you’re rolling in it.” She used the key she’d gotten from Smyth and held the door open for Jack.
He felt the temperature drop by at least ten degrees when he walked inside. “The sun must hit the back of the house in the afternoon.”
“That sounds right. I think Smyth said the house faces east.”
She led him through the empty one story, along the hallway, and into the bedrooms before they went out onto the back porch. “Listen to that river roar,” Jack said.
“I don’t know if I’d call it a roar,” Erica said. “More like a tumble.”
“What’s wrong with you? You’ve been quiet since we came into town.”
“Nothing.” She pulled away and huffed, “I’m not looking forward to spending the next few months on a farm in the middle of nowhere. Depending on how long this takes, we could be here through the holidays.”
“Yes,” he said. “We’ve been over this.”
“I asked Smyth about the weather. He said the valley is the coldest place in the continental United States every year. The average lows in December and January are below zero.”
Jack lifted his face to the wind and thought of how the same breeze might feel on a below-freezing day. He loved a good challenge. Spending the winter in a cold and windy valley sounded like one hell of a challenge.
“What are you smiling about?” Erica asked.
“Sounds like you’d have to be pretty tough to live here, to face those kinds of temperatures day after day, season after season. Most of the folks here work outside.”
“Exactly. These people are crazy.”
“Not crazy, Erica. They’re the heart and soul of this country. Up before dawn, out in the elements, tending their land and their animals. They’re making an honest living in very harsh conditions.”
“You’re thinking of your writer.”
Jack’s chest filled with pride. “I am. Lyle Woodward is from here. He’s young and eager and obviously tough. I knew I chose well.”
“Either that or he’s just plain stupid.”
“Oh, Erica,” Jack reached for her hand, “we’ll learn something from these people. It’s a part of the adventure to experience something new. Something different. Just think of how our lives would have turned out if we’d grown up where everyone in the family had to contribute to the cause.”
“I’d have run away.”
She was still so angry about what life had dealt them. She had a right, he supposed, but the past was the past. He wished she’d pick up the pieces and move on the way he had. “And we’d have needed you too much to let you go.”
“No one ever needed me.” The hurt in her voice was unmistakable. His greatest regret was not paying more attention to her, not hearing her cries for help. “That’s certainly not true now.” He squeezed her hand and they walked back inside. “When’s the furniture being delivered?”
“This afternoon. I got us a reservation at the local hotel. It’s not up to your usual standards.”
“Does it have an internet connection?”
“What am I?” she asked. “Stupid?”
“Not you, sweet Erica. I wish you’d tell me what was really bothering you.”
“I’m worried, I guess, about you telling the world about what happened. It’s too good a story to go unnoticed. You’re about to open an enormous can of worms and become a poster child. After living in a hole for the past couple of years, I want to be sure you’re ready to face everything that may come your way.”
“Nothing may come from it or, like you said, it could blow my private world open. I wouldn’t have agreed to the book if I wasn’t prepared for that.”
“Maybe I’m not prepared for that,” she confessed.
“What do you mean?”
“I like the way we are, Jack. We rely on each other. I don’t see why you have to go public and let everyone in on our arrangement.”
“We’re becoming too complacent, Erica. I detest complacency. I thought you’d welcome the chance for new experiences.”
“My life with you is a new experience. It’s stable and safe. Why would I want to change that?”
“Because stable and safe are boring. We’ve hidden out long enough.”
“I’m not hiding and I’m not happy about any of this.”
“If you felt so strongly, why didn’t you say something sooner? Why wait until we’d bought the land and are ready to move in?”
“You never asked.” She gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I know I don’t have the right to an opinion—
“That’s not true.”
“But when you go public, so do I. I don’t want a bunch of questions about my past.”
“First of all, you have every right to your own opinion. I’m not in the habit of asking anyone for their advice because I’ve never had to. I should have thought about you, about how this book could affect your life. If it makes you feel any better, I’ll make sure Mr. Woodward doesn’t ask any personal questions about you.”
“Jack, I live with you. Like it or not, I’m a part of your life now.”
“You’ve always been a part of my life, Erica. I just got caught up in making my way and didn’t take the time to take care of you. We’re the only family we have. When times got tough, you were the only one I could count on.”
“That street goes both ways.”
“I can’t make predictions about the future, but I’ll do everything in my power to limit your involvement in the book. I have final say over the finished product. That means you will, too.”
“Okay,” she said, but he could tell she wasn’t convinced.
“Let’s go check in at the hotel. I want to set up my computer before the furniture shows up.” They locked the house, and he stopped her before they reached the car. “No heavy lifting for you.”
“I know.”
“I mean it, Erica. Figure out where you want things and make the delivery men earn their pay.”
She gently patted his cheek. “Doesn’t everyone who works for you?”
“Touché.”
Chapter 11
Lyle took a break from working on the cabin and walked to his truck, glancing across the river. He’d done so every day for the last two weeks, ever since he’d spotted the skittish brunette. Something about her had him obsessing about catching a glimpse of her. He wouldn’t be satisfied until he saw her again.
He heard what sounded like a truck and walked along the bank until he found the best view of the house through the cottonwood trees. Morrison Furniture’s delivery truck came to an abrupt stop in front of the house. So the rumors he’d heard about the place selling were true. He could have called around and asked if the land had sold and to whom, but he’d been too busy working on the cabin and researching Jack Forrester.
But that hadn’t stopped him from looking through the trees for another glimpse of the face that had captured his imagination. He had the tendency to lock onto things and create fantastical stories in his mind. That was why he wrote fiction. He’d managed to feature the mystery woman in a number of his fantasies since the day he spotted her. He only hoped there wasn’t a husband to welcome to the neighborhood.
He watched as bed after desk after couch was removed from the truck and disappeared from his view. From the amount of trips he witnessed the men make, he wondered who in the world would move in without bringing any furniture of their own. When he was a child, his parents had bought their land as a second residence. After living in Hailey for over a decade, he didn’t know of anyone else who had. Their agricultural town wasn’t exactly most folks’ vacation destination.
He shook his head and went back to work. He had too much to do on his own house to stand around and stalk a woman who may or may not be his new neighbor. He had a list of things he wanted to finish before his meeting with Jack Forrester. The guy had agreed to meet him at the Tap of all places. He’d seemed particularly interested in Lower Fork, and when Lyle mentioned he lived there temporarily, Jack had jumped at the chance to see the area. Lyle couldn’t imagine why Lower Fork was even on Jack’s radar.
The sun was starting its decline, heading toward the peaks of the nearby San Juan Mountains, when Lyle packed his belongings into the toolbox in the back of his SUV. The house across the river had quieted down. He’d witnessed truck after truck from the area’s two furniture stores and a small moving van amble down the lane. Whoever had moved in had an awful lot of work ahead.
He looked at his attire. His brown T-shirt was smeared with plaster, his boots’ tread carried a mixture of mud and wood dust, and his jeans wore the marks of a hard day’s labor. Considering that was how he looked at the end of most of his days at the cabin, he figured he might as well meet his neighbor as himself.
He strode down the bank away from the cabin to where the river ran only inches deep over a wide stretch of potato rock. He carefully plodded across the swift moving water and emerged on the other side no worse for wear.
As he made his way along the narrow path that led to the house, he admired the Cuthbert property. It had once been a jewel in the valley with its lush pastures and renowned horse stock. Dodge had bought him and Kevin a mare from the Cuthberts that still grazed in the pasture near his mom’s garden. He wondered if the new owners planned to raise horses or livestock or grain. With two hundred acres and plenty of water, their options were limitless.
He pounded his boots on the small paved drive leading to the garage before making his way to the screen door where empty boxes had been disassembled and stacked for removal. Through the door, he heard music, something slow and soulful, coming from one of the back rooms. With it came the unmistakable sound of live female accompaniment.
He knocked with a decided clutch in his belly; her voice alone drew him like a moth to a flame. When the same dark-haired beauty emerged cautiously, his stomach clutched for a whole different reason. From a distance, she’d been like a vision; up close, her ivory skin and dark eyes made him want to beg at her feet.
“Can I help you?” she asked, clearly impervious to his most engaging smile.
“I’m your neighbor,” he said and wished like the devil she’d open the screen and let him get an even closer look. “From across the river. I wanted to welcome you to the area.”
Her hands clutched the opening of her simple button-down shirt. “How do you know I’m not from the area?”
“There’s no way I would have missed seeing you around town.”
The easy charm he used to win over most folks died a sudden and painful death at her feet. A disapproving line formed between her brows, and instead of walking closer to the screen and asking him in, she stepped back. “I own a gun and I know how to use it.”
Lyle lifted his hands in surrender. “I’m glad to hear that,” he joked. Somewhere, somehow, the conversation had taken a turn onto a street he’d never traveled. “But I’m not going to hurt you. I just wanted to say hello.”
“Hello.” She shortened the distance between them with two quick steps and gripped the door in a white-knuckle grasp. “I have a lot of work to do, so if you’ll excuse me…”
Before he could utter a response, she slammed the door in his face and bolted the lock. Lyle swayed backward and stood with his mouth open, staring at the door. What in the hell had just happened and how had he managed to alienate the only woman in a fifty-mile radius he wanted to get to know?
***
Erica leaned heavily against the door and held her breath, waiting to hear the stranger’s footsteps recede along the porch. When she finally heard him walk around the side of the house, she moved to the window and watched him walk slowly toward the river. Before disappearing into the trees surrounding the path, he turned around and glanced at the house with his head cocked as if he couldn’t quite figure out what had just happened.
He wasn’t the only one confused. Where had he come from and how in the world had she not heard him approach? She rushed back to the bedroom where she’d been unpacking her things and jabbed her finger on the stop button to silence the music. She should have known better than to try to relax in the new space by playing some of her favorite songs.
She knew moving out to a farm in the middle of nowhere was a bad idea. She’d lied when she said she knew how to shoot. She’d never even held a gun, but it seemed like the smart thing to say when confronted by a stranger. Even though the stranger had made her heart pound for more reasons than just the shock of hearing a knock on her door.
He seemed smaller in person, almost skinny. But the way his shirt stretched across his defined chest more than made up for his lankiness. Erica shook her head. Who cared how the man looked? He was a stranger and a damn forward one at that. How dare he show up at dusk and scare the wits out of her! Before she heard his knock, she’d just started to relax and enjoy the way the sun inched lower in the sky, casting the river in shadows, and the occasional shafts of brilliant light that shone through the clouds.
He’d gone and ruined her mood and derailed her efforts to have everything set up before she retrieved Jack. Jack was insistent about spending the night in the new house even though all she wanted was to take a long, hot shower at the hotel and slip under the covers of a bed that already had sheets.
Erica knew she wouldn’t be able to relax in the house alone since her sexy neighbor had scared the life out of her. She may as well go get Jack and let him start acquainting himself with the new house before she made any more progress. At least with Jack fumbling around, she wouldn’t be alone. She double checked the lock on the back door before she exited the front and started her car. She pulled away from the house while staring across the river in her rear view mirror. That man, whoever he was, spelled trouble. Erica felt it in her bones.
Chapter 12
Olivia couldn’t believe after working as a teacher—leaving the house at six a.m. and not getting home until ten hours later—her brother still expected her to help out and wait tables at the Tap on the weekends. The man was a slave driver and a total cheapskate. The last thing she wanted to do was spend another day on her feet.
She’d taken to teaching like a newborn takes to her mother’s milk. She loved being in the classroom and interacting with kids. Surprisingly, she’d been given a seventh grade history class to teach on her own. The challenge of following the curriculum, keeping the kids’ attention, and acclimating to the new routine had left her both exhilarated and exhausted. She desperately wanted a day to sleep in and veg out—a foreign concept to her workaholic brother.
The restaurant was crowded for a Saturday. With the opening of bow season for big game and some bird hunting underway, huntsmen were as plentiful and hungry as the area’s mainstay of fisherman. A dizzying array of camouflage littered the restaurant.
When Olivia saw Lyle walk in and search the room for a table, she made a beeline to where he stood by the sign that read, “Seat yourself.”
“You’re really crowded today,” he said.
“You may as well have a seat at the bar.” Olivia nodded toward the long wooden bar with a few empty seats. “A table’s going to take about ten minutes.”
“I’ll wait.” He scanned the crowd. “I’m early anyway.”
Olivia glanced at his khaki pants and button-down shirt. “Why are you so dressed up? Are you meeting someone?”
Lyle’s smile bloomed. “My subject, Jack Forrester.”
“The bajillionaire’s coming here?”
Lyle grabbed Olivia’s arm and walked her toward the kitchen door. “Can you keep your voice down, please? I’m pretty sure Forrester doesn’t want everyone knowing the size of his bank account.”
“Why would you bring him here?” She glanced around the restaurant, trying to see it the same way as someone used to dining in the finest establishments in the country. The Tap looked best at night when the lights were dim and the music live and loud. In the daylight, every scar on the mahogany bar stood out, the faded red vinyl seats seemed more dingy than vintage, and the neon lights against the brick wall seemed garish. “What in the world were you thinking?”
“He wanted to meet somewhere in Lower Fork. This is the best place in town. What else would I have suggested? Grab a hot dog at the convenience store?”
“It’s your funeral.”
Lyle nodded. “There’s a four top that just got up. Can you bus that table and seat us there?”
“Sure thing, but I’m warning you now, that’s my table. I’m going to expect a big tip.”
He patted her cheek. “All you have to do is earn it.”
Lyle wandered to the bar and started chatting with a customer while Olivia went back to work refilling drinks, delivering food, and searching the kitchen for the bus boy to get busy clearing tables. When she saw her brother enter the restaurant and try to sail through to the kitchen, she cut him off behind the bar. “Where have you been?” she demanded.
“I had a meeting.” When he tried to step around her and she blocked his path again, his brows shot up to his dark brown hair.
“When you asked me to work today, I assumed you’d be here, too. I have a job, you know. A real job. I don’t appreciate being summoned to work when you’re not pulling your weight.”
“Look, I’ve got so much on my plate right now, I can barely remember if I’m coming or going. When Jill left, you said you’d fill in so I didn’t have to hire someone full time.”
Guilt would get him a long way down her road but not all the way. “I didn’t mean I’d continue after September,” she pouted. “Seriously, Tommy, I need a break.”
“You’re not on tomorrow.”
“And that’s the only reason I showed up today.”
“I’m about to close the raft shop in a couple of weeks. Just a few more Saturdays and you’re off the hook.”
Olivia huffed and threw her hands on her hips. “Fine, but the minute—” Every thought left her head when the door to the restaurant opened and he walked in. Every. Single. Thought. It was as if some behind-the-scenes director had cued tall, dark, and handsome to enter stage right. Of course, he was on the arm of tall, dark, and beautiful, but that didn’t stop Olivia’s heart from galloping like a wild mustang. His simple blue shirt accentuated every ripple of his chest, every hill and valley of his arms. The sharp angles of his face, his deep, dark, fathomless eyes, and the wind-mussed perfection of his nearly black hair left Olivia thunderstruck. She half expected to see shards of marble at his feet from where a Renaissance sculptor had completed his work.
Tommy snapped his fingers in front of her face, jarring her from the moment, but not entirely breaking the spell. “Hello? Earth to Olivia?”
She ignored him and leaned over the bar, happy she’d worn the one shirt from the Tap that dipped low enough to showcase her chest as she placed her elbows on the surface and tossed her hair from her face. The Greek God didn’t notice, but his companion sure did, narrowing her eyes at Olivia before she skimmed the restaurant and whispered in her boyfriend’s ear. He shrugged, said something so low Olivia couldn’t hear, and stared straight ahead while the woman glanced around.
Lyle appeared from the back of the restaurant. “Jack Forrester?” he asked, but he wasn’t looking at the male model. His eyes were glued to Jack’s dark-haired escort.
“You’re Lyle Woodward?” the woman said as her already pale face drained of color.
Lyle shook Jack’s outstretched hand. Olivia couldn’t be certain, but something wasn’t right about Jack Forrester. For such a gorgeous man, his movements were jerky, almost hesitant, and not once did he try to disengage from the woman at his side.
Olivia bit her lip when the guy at table three waved her over, shaking his empty glass to let her know he needed a refill. She grabbed the pitcher and moved away, hoping to catch Jack Forrester’s eye. Unfortunately, he seemed too involved with Lyle to notice the sexy sway of her hips. Damn. Maybe she was losing her touch.
***
Lyle couldn’t believe his luck, or his misfortune, at having Jack Forrester’s sister scowl at him from across the table. What were the odds, Lyle wondered, of accosting the sister of his subject? He hadn’t accosted Erica Forrester, but she’d sure made him feel as if he had. Lyle doubted she’d told Jack about her nosy neighbor who’d scared her half to death.
“I wasn’t expecting a third,” Lyle said in reference to the two place settings at the table he’d requested. “I’ll get some more silverware when the waitress arrives.”
“Erica accompanies me on most of my out of the office meetings. She won’t always be present, but since we’ll be working so closely together over the next few months, I thought it wise for you to meet.”
Lyle stared at Erica, trying unsuccessfully to catch her eye. “I’m not sure if Erica mentioned it, but we sort of met a few days ago.”
“Really?” Jack tilted his head in Erica’s direction. “No, she didn’t mention it.”
“I didn’t know it was him,” Erica said. “He knocked on the door when I was alone at the house. I was rude, but he scared me. I didn’t hear a car pull up.”
“We’re neighbors,” Lyle explained. “I crossed the river after I saw the furniture delivery trucks and the moving van.” He rubbed at the back of his neck when her irritated stare had his hair standing on end. “I just wanted to say hello.”
Jack laughed. “Let me guess. Did she slam the door in your face?”
Lyle felt himself relax just a fraction. “Sort of. After she told me she knew how to use a gun.”
Jack’s laugh echoed through the room. “Priceless. I wish I’d been there.”
“I’m glad you find this funny.” Erica crossed her arms over her ample chest and seemed to melt further into her seat. She acted overly embarrassed about the misunderstanding. Perhaps she felt as he did: unwittingly attracted and unsure what to do about it. He’d thought of her constantly since their encounter. He wondered how he’d mend the gap between them as neighbors. He knew his attraction was more than a little inconvenient considering he was writing her brother’s biography.
“Don’t be so dramatic, Erica.” Jack turned his head in Lyle’s direction. “I thought you lived in Lower Fork?”
“I do for now. I’m renovating the cabin on my parents’ land. It should be ready in a couple of months.”
“Are you renovating it yourself?”
“Some. What I’m able to. I have to run power from the main house, and that’s the biggest delay.”
Lyle watched Jack’s hands on the tabletop, fingering the napkin and utensils. Something seemed off, but he couldn’t put his finger on what.
“So you know where we’ll be living,” Jack said. “I’d appreciate you coming to the house for the interviews. I don’t like to travel and I can’t afford to be away from my computers for too long.”
Lyle wondered why a man of Jack’s wealth didn’t have every gadget known to man at his fingertips. Surely he could keep abreast of the markets on any number of hand held devices. “That’s no problem. I doubt my roommate would appreciate if I turned her apartment into a workspace.”
“Her?”
Lyle looked up and saw Olivia approaching. “Speak of the devil.”
***
“Good afternoon,” Olivia said in her most seductive voice. “Welcome to the Golden Tap. I’m—”
“Olivia.”
Olivia breath hitched when her name floated through Jack’s lips. She’d heard that voice before; she recognized the way he said her name, stretching out the four syllables as if pouring each one over ice in a hand cut tumbler. She couldn’t believe her luck. “I guess I wasn’t much of a challenge.”
Jack swiveled his incredible body in her direction and lifted his head. A nerve along Olivia’s spine began to tingle.
“You two know each other?” Lyle asked.
The grin on Jack’s face widened. “Not personally, but I’m hoping to change that.”
Olivia glanced around the faces at the table. Lyle seemed as confused as she did, Jack’s female companion bared her teeth and seemed ready to strike, and Jack stared at Olivia’s chest. “Uh, we’ve spoken on the phone.”
“How’s the teaching?” Jack asked. “Not well, I’d assume, since you’re waiting tables.”
“My brother owns the Tap. I’m doing him a favor.”
“Your brother owns both the raft shop and the restaurant? I’ll have to meet this paragon of industry.”
“He also owns Golden Mountain Sports,” Lyle added. “They rent skis, boards, ice skates, and snow shoes.”
“I’m surprised this area isn’t called the Golden Fork.”
“Ha,” Olivia chuckled, “that would have been a cute name for the restaurant.”
“Cute, indeed.” Jack pushed his chair back and stood up. The woman stood up at the same time and reached for his arm. Jack patted her hand where it wrapped around his impressive bicep. “I’m fine, Erica.” He turned toward Olivia, oblivious to how close they were standing. “Olivia, would you mind helping me find the restroom?”
“Oh, sure.” Olivia stepped back to give him some room. She pointed with her pen to the narrow hall past the stage. “It’s right back there.”
A devious smile played on the corners of his lips as his eyes bore into Olivia’s face. “I’m afraid I’ll need an escort. I’m as blind as a bat.”
Chapter 13
“I’ll take you.” Erica grabbed his hand and placed it on her arm, but Jack shooed her away.
“I’d appreciate it if Olivia could take me. If you have the time?” Jack asked.
Erica watched the silly girl’s face register shock as her eyes moved up and down Jack’s body as if looking for clues she’d missed. Stupid, flighty thing. What in the world was wrong with her brother?
“Um, sure.” Olivia put her arm in his hand. “How is this done exactly?”
“Bend your elbow and walk beside me. Let me know if something’s in my way.”
“Okay.” She took slow, deliberate steps away from the table.
Erica turned in her chair and watched, poised and ready to pounce if she led him astray.
“Relax,” Lyle said, diverting her attention. “Olivia’s not an idiot.”
“I guess we’ll see.” She stared across the table at Lyle Woodward. The fascination she’d felt the moment she laid eyes on him flared to life as he stared back with his butterscotch eyes.
“So that’s why he dropped off the face of the earth two years ago.”
“You didn’t know?” Good Lord. What had Jack gotten her into? “Then why did you agree to write the book?”
Lyle shrugged. “Simple. I need the money.”
“And now you see dollar signs.”
“I saw dollar signs before. From the research I’ve done on your brother, he’s led a fascinating life. Even without the blindness, he’s an excellent subject. Now that I know he’s blind…”
“Well,” she faced him after watching Jack disappear into the men’s restroom, “I guess that makes your day. Breaking the news. You get to answer the mystery of why Jack Forrester dropped out of the game. Trust me, people want to know.”
“It’s an interesting twist. I can appreciate a good hook. Why the big secret?”
“You’ll have to ask him.”
Lyle studied her. She knew he would be a problem, she just didn’t know how much of a problem. He sat back in his chair and folded his hands across his stomach. “Why do you dislike me so much?”
For that very reason, she wanted to say. That directness, that way he had of looking at her and exposing her. “I don’t dislike you. I don’t know you.”
“I suppose we’ll get to know each other soon enough.”
“Your book’s about Jack, not me.”
“You’re in Jack’s life. You’re his right hand and have been since he lost his vision, I’d guess.”
“You’re going to have to keep on guessing.”
“This doesn’t have to be an adversarial relationship, Erica. I’m not going to smear your brother. I’m writing about his life—at his request.”
“His request,” Erica stressed. “Not mine.”
“Fair enough. So why wouldn’t he have told me about his sight?”
“I don’t know.” She felt him trying to peel her layers away. She snuck a glance at the restroom where Olivia slumped against the wall.
“I think you do.”
“Look,” she leaned her elbows on the table as her temper flared to life, “you want answers, ask Jack. I’m only here because he needs me.”
“So that’s what you do? You help Jack? Like a Seeing-Eye dog?”
Erica sat up straight as his words stuck her like a blow to the face. “How dare you.”
“Well, it’s an honest observation. He doesn’t use a cane, and I don’t see a service animal lying at his feet.”
“He’s not totally blind, but he doesn’t like to go new places alone.”
“Can’t blame him. If he’d told me, I could have come to him.”
“He had some weird fascination with Lower Fork. I’m guessing your blond roommate’s why. If I were you, I’d lock your girlfriend up for a while. He’s got a way with the ladies that even blindness can’t cure.”
He held her stare. Everything about him was too intense. “She’s not my girlfriend.”
Erica shrugged and hoped to mask her relief. Why did she care if he lived with a bombshell? She
When her last day at the shop ended and she walked into her apartment, she felt a smile tugging her lips when she spotted Lyle sitting at his makeshift desk in the kitchen. “Honey, I’m home!” she sang out.
“Very funny,” Lyle said before shutting down his computer. “How was your day?” he asked in the same satirical tone she’d used.
Olivia plopped on the couch and stretched out her legs. “Not bad considering I’m not going back.”
“Huh?”
“I start my student teaching on Monday. I’m officially a molder of young minds.”
“God save the children. What grade?”
“Seventh.”
“Middle school?” Lyle asked. “Seriously?”
“Yes. I like middle schoolers. They’re still young enough to be kids but smart enough to want to learn. I loved going to middle school.”
“That’s because the boys found you in middle school.” Lyle went to the fridge, pulled out two bottled beers, and popped the tops before delivering one to Olivia on the couch. She admired the label. Maybe having Lyle around wasn’t so bad after all.
“Thanks. So how was your day?” Olivia asked, and then chuckled. “God, this seems weird. Is this what it’s like to be married?”
He flashed his dimples. “You’re asking me?” He sat on the chair facing Olivia. “My day was good. I got in a nice long run this morning and spent the rest of the afternoon mired in all things Jack Forrester.”
“Who?”
“He’s a young, very affluent former hedge fund manager out of Denver. I’m writing his biography.”
Olivia wrinkled her nose. “How boring.”
“Not really. This guy is fascinating.”
“I thought you wrote fiction. Jill said something about mysteries.”
“I do write fiction, but this is a paying job, and until the fiction starts paying, I’m opting for the money.” Lyle crossed his ankles over the coffee table and nestled his beer between his knees.
“So what’s so fascinating about Jack Forrester?”
“He was one of the youngest hedge fund guys in the country. Wildly successful, especially considering his humble upbringing.”
“How humble? Westmoreland humble or Lower Fork humble?” Comparing the commercial center of the valley to the recreational outpost that was Lower Fork seemed like a good enough spread on the humble continuum.
“As best I can find, Lower Fork humble, if not worse.”
“Humm. Okay, that’s mildly interesting. Go on.”
“He put himself through school—some no name community college in one of the Jersey burbs—and started at an entry level position at one of the top brokerage firms in New York City. Either he had connections I haven’t discovered yet or he’s one hell of a salesman, but he got the job and sailed to the top in only two years. I’d say at the top of his game, he was pulling in tens of millions.”
“A year?”
Lyle nodded and took quick sip, not wanting to slow the momentum of his story. “Then he left the firm and went out on his own in Greenwich, Connecticut, basically giving everyone who’d given him a helping hand the finger on his way out the door.”
“Ballsy. Gotta respect that kind of confidence. Of course, I wouldn’t care about pissing people off if I was pulling in seven figures.”
“The guy was money. Everything he touched turned to gold.”
“Why are you speaking in the past tense? Did he die?”
“Nope. He’s alive and kicking.”
“Well, you’ve hooked me, master story teller. What’s the catch?”
“He disappeared, just dropped right off the radar when the money guys pulled out.”
“Why they pull out?”
Lyle shrugged. “It’s not uncommon for these guys to drop from fame. They get on a losing streak or take up with a super model and get distracted. When you’re that big a fish, investors want to know you’re laser focused on making them money and not chasing a piece of tail.”
“Nicely put. So did he lose his lady luck or take up with a lady?
“Some sort of medical issue. I can’t find any evidence that points to exactly what.”
“Huh. And now he’s in Denver? What happened to his firm?”
“Shut it down, moved out here, and from what I can gather, he’s just managing his own money.”
“If he was raking in tens of millions—”
“More like hundreds at the peak,” Lyle said.
Olivia whistled. And she’d considered her dad loaded. What a joke. “I’ll bet he’s got plenty of his own money to manage.” Olivia felt her phone vibrate a second before she heard it ring. She pulled the phone from her pocket and held up a finger for Lyle. “It’s Jill. Hang on just a sec.”
“Olivia?” Jill whimpered.
“Jill?” Olivia sat up as her mind whirled in twenty directions. “What’s wrong?”
“Ty and I had a fight. I’m sorry to call you like this, but I need to talk to someone who’s not related to him.”
Olivia’s heart rate began to level from the spike it had taken when she’d imagined a dozen scenarios that ended with a funeral. “Tell me what happened.” She stood up to walk to her bedroom. Some conversations weren’t meant for men to overhear. She patted Lyle on the shoulder. “Mr. Perfect was bound to screw up sooner of later.”
Chapter 9
Ty Bloodworth sat behind his desk, reviewing the syllabus he’d updated for his Introduction to Economics classes scheduled to begin in less than a week. He’d landed a pretty good schedule, enrollment was up, and he was more than prepared to teach two intro level classes and assist a professor with a couple of third-year classes. His schedule left him plenty of time to get his fly fishing business off the ground. He should have been on top of the world—he would have been—if he and Jill hadn’t had their first fight.
It was destined to happen. Despite the fact they felt as though they’d been together for years, they’d only been in love for months. Less than six months. The amount of time they’d been together didn’t factor into the way he felt. Loving Jill and making a life with her were the most important things in his life.
He may have overreacted when she’d gone for a run and he couldn’t get in touch with her. She was smart, and after their discussions in Colorado about keeping herself safe and aware on her runs, he should have known she wouldn’t leave the house without her phone and a way to protect herself. Logic didn’t matter when he’d panicked and put out an APB on her throughout Sequoyah Falls.
Jill didn’t appreciate the police escort she’d received home. He shoved away from his desk and stood up to brood by the window. In a few days, the campus would overflow with college students eager to begin their future. Since he and Jill had aired every bit of worry from their consciences, he had a whole new issue to feel anxious about in addition to his job performance. A knock at the door had him spinning around. “Come in.”
Ty recognized the engagement ring he’d picked out for Jill on the hand waving a white tissue in the gap between the door and the jam. “Truce?” she said before peeking her head inside. “I come in peace.”
She must have felt comfortable with the ear-splitting grin on his face because she stepped inside and closed the door. She wore his favorite sundress, a bold tangerine that made her skin glow with health. “I didn’t think you’d come by today,” he said.
“And ruin our tradition? It takes a stronger woman than me to resist the allure of our weekly date.”
Ty skirted the desk and gathered her in his arms. “I’m sorry about last night.”
“Me, too,” she said into his shirt where she’d buried her face. She let out a big breath, lifted her face to his, and flashed her toothy smile. “I know you were worried about me. I should have been more understanding.”
He rested his forehead on hers. “I should have thought about the fact that cell coverage isn’t great on some of the trails and waited before I alerted everyone you were missing.”
“I had my mace and I called you the second I saw the missed calls.”
“I know. I’d already gone off the deep end by then.”
She stepped out of his arms and walked around his desk. He didn’t like her putting a physical barrier between them. “I said some things last night in the heat of our fight I wish I hadn’t.”
He sat in the plastic chair opposite his desk so she’d understand he was ready to listen. He wasn’t sure how to assuage her fears. “So let’s talk about it now. When we’re not fighting. Because I know you wouldn’t have said it if you didn’t mean it.”
“I trust you, Ty. I’ve never had any reason to doubt you.”
“I hope I never give you reason. I love you, Jill.”
“I know you do, Ty. Hell, everyone in Sequoyah Falls knows you love me after last night.”
He could only suck in a breath and let the moment pass. She needed to tell him why she felt scared.
She lifted her hands and let them fall at her side. “You don’t have any idea the affect you have on women.”
He let out a barking laugh. “Jill…”
“No, Ty, I’m serious. You’re gorgeous. I used to think you were pretending you didn’t know what you look like, but I realized you really don’t know or just don’t care. I don’t know how you couldn’t know, but it just doesn’t affect you. But the way you look affects the way women react to you. Women of all ages. You’re a chick magnet.”
“The only chick I’m trying to attract is you.”
“And you’ve got me. You know that.”
“You’ve got me, too, Jill. You have to know that. After everything we went though last week, how can you not know that?”
“I do, but that doesn’t mean I don’t worry. You’re teaching college. I’ve been to college. If I’d had an instructor who looked like you, I’d have made a lot more visits during office hours.”
He tilted his head and studied her. “No, you wouldn’t have. You’re too principled to hit on your teacher.”
“Okay, okay. You’re right. I’m a bad example, but most women—young women—wouldn’t hesitate to hit on you.”
“Jill, I hate talking about the way I look because it makes me feel like it’s something special. It isn’t. I was born this way. I didn’t do anything to earn it, and it makes me uncomfortable.”
“I know that and I can’t tell you how incredibly appealing that is.”
“But?”
“But that doesn’t mean women won’t hit on you. In droves. I remember the walking hormones we all were during my four years at school.” She sighed and fell into his desk chair. “Some people like you and Olivia are born so beautiful you attract attention whether you want it or not. Olivia uses it to her advantage, in part because she’s a woman and in some ways—in a lot of ways—it gives her a leg up. You ignore it like it doesn’t exist and that works for you. As the woman who’s desperately in love with you, I can’t ignore it.”
“I’ve been hit on before and I know how to deflect. Not only would I never jeopardize our relationship, but getting involved with a student would be a huge violation of my teaching contract. I’m not stupid enough to jeopardize you or my career for a piece of ass. Thank God you’re not my student. For you, I’d risk just about anything.”
She gave a defeated smile. He got up and came around the desk, swiveling her chair so their knees bumped. He grabbed her hands and pulled her up, holding her waist. “I wish I could reassure you that my teaching here won’t affect our marriage. I love you. I’m not interested in any other woman. At some point, we’re going to have to trust each other.” He dropped a kiss on her nose. “And every man in a fifty mile radius is jealous as hell that the beautiful girl they’ve seen around town is taken.”
“Exactly.” She pointed at her engagement ring. “Everyone knows I’m yours.”
“In two months—”
“Almost three,” Jill interrupted.
“I can wear your ring and everyone will know I’m yours, too. If you change your mind, I can wear it now.”
“No.” She looked at him with mournful eyes that melted his heart. “We made a decision for the right reasons. I don’t want to tell everyone now. I can wait, but I don’t have to be happy about it.”
“Do you have to get back to the restaurant?” he asked as he nestled his lips below her ear. She smelled as though she’d rolled in a field of wildflowers. “We can grab some lunch.”
“Your mom knew I was upset and told me to take my time.” She jerked her head up and pushed his hands away. After two steps, his door was locked and a wicked grin transformed her mouth from pouty to sex-starved.
“What are you doing?”
“We had a fight and we just made up. We have to have make-up sex.”
“Here? Right now?”
Her cheeks were flushed and her breathing sounded ragged. “Now.” She scanned his desktop for collateral damage and tossed his laptop onto his chair. “You ravaged me in my office. I’d say turnabout is fair play.” He groaned when she cupped him. “Besides, someone’s locked and loaded.”
“I love it when you talk dirty.” He lifted her onto his desk, hiking her skirt in the process. His hand slipped inside her panties and he swallowed hard. “Target’s engaged.”
“Oh, yeah.”
“You can’t scream,” he warned.
She mimed locking her lips and throwing away the key. Just to be safe, he covered her mouth with his and swallowed her cry as he plunged.
Later, sated and panting, she lay sprawled on his desk, her dress akimbo and her hair mussed. She looked just the way he liked her: well-satisfied and sexy as hell. “Oh my,” she said. “That was one hell of a lesson.”
“That’s because you’re a model student.”
“And you, sir, are an excellent teacher.” She sat up and planted a wet kiss on his lips. “I’m aiming for an A.”
“Sweetheart,” he lifted her off the desk, “that was A+ work. Don’t tell anyone, but you’re the teacher’s pet.”
“Just as long as I’m the teacher’s only pet.”
“Only you, Jill. Forever.”
Chapter 10
Jack stepped out of the car and took a deep breath through his nose. “Wow, it smells so… pungent here. The grass, the hay, the land, it’s so vital.”
Erica snickered and took his arm, leading him across the yard to the house’s front porch. “It smells like a farm.”
He stopped after a few steps and stuck his face in the air. “Feel that wind?” He wagged his eyebrows. “Now I smell money.”
“That’s because you’re rolling in it.” She used the key she’d gotten from Smyth and held the door open for Jack.
He felt the temperature drop by at least ten degrees when he walked inside. “The sun must hit the back of the house in the afternoon.”
“That sounds right. I think Smyth said the house faces east.”
She led him through the empty one story, along the hallway, and into the bedrooms before they went out onto the back porch. “Listen to that river roar,” Jack said.
“I don’t know if I’d call it a roar,” Erica said. “More like a tumble.”
“What’s wrong with you? You’ve been quiet since we came into town.”
“Nothing.” She pulled away and huffed, “I’m not looking forward to spending the next few months on a farm in the middle of nowhere. Depending on how long this takes, we could be here through the holidays.”
“Yes,” he said. “We’ve been over this.”
“I asked Smyth about the weather. He said the valley is the coldest place in the continental United States every year. The average lows in December and January are below zero.”
Jack lifted his face to the wind and thought of how the same breeze might feel on a below-freezing day. He loved a good challenge. Spending the winter in a cold and windy valley sounded like one hell of a challenge.
“What are you smiling about?” Erica asked.
“Sounds like you’d have to be pretty tough to live here, to face those kinds of temperatures day after day, season after season. Most of the folks here work outside.”
“Exactly. These people are crazy.”
“Not crazy, Erica. They’re the heart and soul of this country. Up before dawn, out in the elements, tending their land and their animals. They’re making an honest living in very harsh conditions.”
“You’re thinking of your writer.”
Jack’s chest filled with pride. “I am. Lyle Woodward is from here. He’s young and eager and obviously tough. I knew I chose well.”
“Either that or he’s just plain stupid.”
“Oh, Erica,” Jack reached for her hand, “we’ll learn something from these people. It’s a part of the adventure to experience something new. Something different. Just think of how our lives would have turned out if we’d grown up where everyone in the family had to contribute to the cause.”
“I’d have run away.”
She was still so angry about what life had dealt them. She had a right, he supposed, but the past was the past. He wished she’d pick up the pieces and move on the way he had. “And we’d have needed you too much to let you go.”
“No one ever needed me.” The hurt in her voice was unmistakable. His greatest regret was not paying more attention to her, not hearing her cries for help. “That’s certainly not true now.” He squeezed her hand and they walked back inside. “When’s the furniture being delivered?”
“This afternoon. I got us a reservation at the local hotel. It’s not up to your usual standards.”
“Does it have an internet connection?”
“What am I?” she asked. “Stupid?”
“Not you, sweet Erica. I wish you’d tell me what was really bothering you.”
“I’m worried, I guess, about you telling the world about what happened. It’s too good a story to go unnoticed. You’re about to open an enormous can of worms and become a poster child. After living in a hole for the past couple of years, I want to be sure you’re ready to face everything that may come your way.”
“Nothing may come from it or, like you said, it could blow my private world open. I wouldn’t have agreed to the book if I wasn’t prepared for that.”
“Maybe I’m not prepared for that,” she confessed.
“What do you mean?”
“I like the way we are, Jack. We rely on each other. I don’t see why you have to go public and let everyone in on our arrangement.”
“We’re becoming too complacent, Erica. I detest complacency. I thought you’d welcome the chance for new experiences.”
“My life with you is a new experience. It’s stable and safe. Why would I want to change that?”
“Because stable and safe are boring. We’ve hidden out long enough.”
“I’m not hiding and I’m not happy about any of this.”
“If you felt so strongly, why didn’t you say something sooner? Why wait until we’d bought the land and are ready to move in?”
“You never asked.” She gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I know I don’t have the right to an opinion—
“That’s not true.”
“But when you go public, so do I. I don’t want a bunch of questions about my past.”
“First of all, you have every right to your own opinion. I’m not in the habit of asking anyone for their advice because I’ve never had to. I should have thought about you, about how this book could affect your life. If it makes you feel any better, I’ll make sure Mr. Woodward doesn’t ask any personal questions about you.”
“Jack, I live with you. Like it or not, I’m a part of your life now.”
“You’ve always been a part of my life, Erica. I just got caught up in making my way and didn’t take the time to take care of you. We’re the only family we have. When times got tough, you were the only one I could count on.”
“That street goes both ways.”
“I can’t make predictions about the future, but I’ll do everything in my power to limit your involvement in the book. I have final say over the finished product. That means you will, too.”
“Okay,” she said, but he could tell she wasn’t convinced.
“Let’s go check in at the hotel. I want to set up my computer before the furniture shows up.” They locked the house, and he stopped her before they reached the car. “No heavy lifting for you.”
“I know.”
“I mean it, Erica. Figure out where you want things and make the delivery men earn their pay.”
She gently patted his cheek. “Doesn’t everyone who works for you?”
“Touché.”
Chapter 11
Lyle took a break from working on the cabin and walked to his truck, glancing across the river. He’d done so every day for the last two weeks, ever since he’d spotted the skittish brunette. Something about her had him obsessing about catching a glimpse of her. He wouldn’t be satisfied until he saw her again.
He heard what sounded like a truck and walked along the bank until he found the best view of the house through the cottonwood trees. Morrison Furniture’s delivery truck came to an abrupt stop in front of the house. So the rumors he’d heard about the place selling were true. He could have called around and asked if the land had sold and to whom, but he’d been too busy working on the cabin and researching Jack Forrester.
But that hadn’t stopped him from looking through the trees for another glimpse of the face that had captured his imagination. He had the tendency to lock onto things and create fantastical stories in his mind. That was why he wrote fiction. He’d managed to feature the mystery woman in a number of his fantasies since the day he spotted her. He only hoped there wasn’t a husband to welcome to the neighborhood.
He watched as bed after desk after couch was removed from the truck and disappeared from his view. From the amount of trips he witnessed the men make, he wondered who in the world would move in without bringing any furniture of their own. When he was a child, his parents had bought their land as a second residence. After living in Hailey for over a decade, he didn’t know of anyone else who had. Their agricultural town wasn’t exactly most folks’ vacation destination.
He shook his head and went back to work. He had too much to do on his own house to stand around and stalk a woman who may or may not be his new neighbor. He had a list of things he wanted to finish before his meeting with Jack Forrester. The guy had agreed to meet him at the Tap of all places. He’d seemed particularly interested in Lower Fork, and when Lyle mentioned he lived there temporarily, Jack had jumped at the chance to see the area. Lyle couldn’t imagine why Lower Fork was even on Jack’s radar.
The sun was starting its decline, heading toward the peaks of the nearby San Juan Mountains, when Lyle packed his belongings into the toolbox in the back of his SUV. The house across the river had quieted down. He’d witnessed truck after truck from the area’s two furniture stores and a small moving van amble down the lane. Whoever had moved in had an awful lot of work ahead.
He looked at his attire. His brown T-shirt was smeared with plaster, his boots’ tread carried a mixture of mud and wood dust, and his jeans wore the marks of a hard day’s labor. Considering that was how he looked at the end of most of his days at the cabin, he figured he might as well meet his neighbor as himself.
He strode down the bank away from the cabin to where the river ran only inches deep over a wide stretch of potato rock. He carefully plodded across the swift moving water and emerged on the other side no worse for wear.
As he made his way along the narrow path that led to the house, he admired the Cuthbert property. It had once been a jewel in the valley with its lush pastures and renowned horse stock. Dodge had bought him and Kevin a mare from the Cuthberts that still grazed in the pasture near his mom’s garden. He wondered if the new owners planned to raise horses or livestock or grain. With two hundred acres and plenty of water, their options were limitless.
He pounded his boots on the small paved drive leading to the garage before making his way to the screen door where empty boxes had been disassembled and stacked for removal. Through the door, he heard music, something slow and soulful, coming from one of the back rooms. With it came the unmistakable sound of live female accompaniment.
He knocked with a decided clutch in his belly; her voice alone drew him like a moth to a flame. When the same dark-haired beauty emerged cautiously, his stomach clutched for a whole different reason. From a distance, she’d been like a vision; up close, her ivory skin and dark eyes made him want to beg at her feet.
“Can I help you?” she asked, clearly impervious to his most engaging smile.
“I’m your neighbor,” he said and wished like the devil she’d open the screen and let him get an even closer look. “From across the river. I wanted to welcome you to the area.”
Her hands clutched the opening of her simple button-down shirt. “How do you know I’m not from the area?”
“There’s no way I would have missed seeing you around town.”
The easy charm he used to win over most folks died a sudden and painful death at her feet. A disapproving line formed between her brows, and instead of walking closer to the screen and asking him in, she stepped back. “I own a gun and I know how to use it.”
Lyle lifted his hands in surrender. “I’m glad to hear that,” he joked. Somewhere, somehow, the conversation had taken a turn onto a street he’d never traveled. “But I’m not going to hurt you. I just wanted to say hello.”
“Hello.” She shortened the distance between them with two quick steps and gripped the door in a white-knuckle grasp. “I have a lot of work to do, so if you’ll excuse me…”
Before he could utter a response, she slammed the door in his face and bolted the lock. Lyle swayed backward and stood with his mouth open, staring at the door. What in the hell had just happened and how had he managed to alienate the only woman in a fifty-mile radius he wanted to get to know?
***
Erica leaned heavily against the door and held her breath, waiting to hear the stranger’s footsteps recede along the porch. When she finally heard him walk around the side of the house, she moved to the window and watched him walk slowly toward the river. Before disappearing into the trees surrounding the path, he turned around and glanced at the house with his head cocked as if he couldn’t quite figure out what had just happened.
He wasn’t the only one confused. Where had he come from and how in the world had she not heard him approach? She rushed back to the bedroom where she’d been unpacking her things and jabbed her finger on the stop button to silence the music. She should have known better than to try to relax in the new space by playing some of her favorite songs.
She knew moving out to a farm in the middle of nowhere was a bad idea. She’d lied when she said she knew how to shoot. She’d never even held a gun, but it seemed like the smart thing to say when confronted by a stranger. Even though the stranger had made her heart pound for more reasons than just the shock of hearing a knock on her door.
He seemed smaller in person, almost skinny. But the way his shirt stretched across his defined chest more than made up for his lankiness. Erica shook her head. Who cared how the man looked? He was a stranger and a damn forward one at that. How dare he show up at dusk and scare the wits out of her! Before she heard his knock, she’d just started to relax and enjoy the way the sun inched lower in the sky, casting the river in shadows, and the occasional shafts of brilliant light that shone through the clouds.
He’d gone and ruined her mood and derailed her efforts to have everything set up before she retrieved Jack. Jack was insistent about spending the night in the new house even though all she wanted was to take a long, hot shower at the hotel and slip under the covers of a bed that already had sheets.
Erica knew she wouldn’t be able to relax in the house alone since her sexy neighbor had scared the life out of her. She may as well go get Jack and let him start acquainting himself with the new house before she made any more progress. At least with Jack fumbling around, she wouldn’t be alone. She double checked the lock on the back door before she exited the front and started her car. She pulled away from the house while staring across the river in her rear view mirror. That man, whoever he was, spelled trouble. Erica felt it in her bones.
Chapter 12
Olivia couldn’t believe after working as a teacher—leaving the house at six a.m. and not getting home until ten hours later—her brother still expected her to help out and wait tables at the Tap on the weekends. The man was a slave driver and a total cheapskate. The last thing she wanted to do was spend another day on her feet.
She’d taken to teaching like a newborn takes to her mother’s milk. She loved being in the classroom and interacting with kids. Surprisingly, she’d been given a seventh grade history class to teach on her own. The challenge of following the curriculum, keeping the kids’ attention, and acclimating to the new routine had left her both exhilarated and exhausted. She desperately wanted a day to sleep in and veg out—a foreign concept to her workaholic brother.
The restaurant was crowded for a Saturday. With the opening of bow season for big game and some bird hunting underway, huntsmen were as plentiful and hungry as the area’s mainstay of fisherman. A dizzying array of camouflage littered the restaurant.
When Olivia saw Lyle walk in and search the room for a table, she made a beeline to where he stood by the sign that read, “Seat yourself.”
“You’re really crowded today,” he said.
“You may as well have a seat at the bar.” Olivia nodded toward the long wooden bar with a few empty seats. “A table’s going to take about ten minutes.”
“I’ll wait.” He scanned the crowd. “I’m early anyway.”
Olivia glanced at his khaki pants and button-down shirt. “Why are you so dressed up? Are you meeting someone?”
Lyle’s smile bloomed. “My subject, Jack Forrester.”
“The bajillionaire’s coming here?”
Lyle grabbed Olivia’s arm and walked her toward the kitchen door. “Can you keep your voice down, please? I’m pretty sure Forrester doesn’t want everyone knowing the size of his bank account.”
“Why would you bring him here?” She glanced around the restaurant, trying to see it the same way as someone used to dining in the finest establishments in the country. The Tap looked best at night when the lights were dim and the music live and loud. In the daylight, every scar on the mahogany bar stood out, the faded red vinyl seats seemed more dingy than vintage, and the neon lights against the brick wall seemed garish. “What in the world were you thinking?”
“He wanted to meet somewhere in Lower Fork. This is the best place in town. What else would I have suggested? Grab a hot dog at the convenience store?”
“It’s your funeral.”
Lyle nodded. “There’s a four top that just got up. Can you bus that table and seat us there?”
“Sure thing, but I’m warning you now, that’s my table. I’m going to expect a big tip.”
He patted her cheek. “All you have to do is earn it.”
Lyle wandered to the bar and started chatting with a customer while Olivia went back to work refilling drinks, delivering food, and searching the kitchen for the bus boy to get busy clearing tables. When she saw her brother enter the restaurant and try to sail through to the kitchen, she cut him off behind the bar. “Where have you been?” she demanded.
“I had a meeting.” When he tried to step around her and she blocked his path again, his brows shot up to his dark brown hair.
“When you asked me to work today, I assumed you’d be here, too. I have a job, you know. A real job. I don’t appreciate being summoned to work when you’re not pulling your weight.”
“Look, I’ve got so much on my plate right now, I can barely remember if I’m coming or going. When Jill left, you said you’d fill in so I didn’t have to hire someone full time.”
Guilt would get him a long way down her road but not all the way. “I didn’t mean I’d continue after September,” she pouted. “Seriously, Tommy, I need a break.”
“You’re not on tomorrow.”
“And that’s the only reason I showed up today.”
“I’m about to close the raft shop in a couple of weeks. Just a few more Saturdays and you’re off the hook.”
Olivia huffed and threw her hands on her hips. “Fine, but the minute—” Every thought left her head when the door to the restaurant opened and he walked in. Every. Single. Thought. It was as if some behind-the-scenes director had cued tall, dark, and handsome to enter stage right. Of course, he was on the arm of tall, dark, and beautiful, but that didn’t stop Olivia’s heart from galloping like a wild mustang. His simple blue shirt accentuated every ripple of his chest, every hill and valley of his arms. The sharp angles of his face, his deep, dark, fathomless eyes, and the wind-mussed perfection of his nearly black hair left Olivia thunderstruck. She half expected to see shards of marble at his feet from where a Renaissance sculptor had completed his work.
Tommy snapped his fingers in front of her face, jarring her from the moment, but not entirely breaking the spell. “Hello? Earth to Olivia?”
She ignored him and leaned over the bar, happy she’d worn the one shirt from the Tap that dipped low enough to showcase her chest as she placed her elbows on the surface and tossed her hair from her face. The Greek God didn’t notice, but his companion sure did, narrowing her eyes at Olivia before she skimmed the restaurant and whispered in her boyfriend’s ear. He shrugged, said something so low Olivia couldn’t hear, and stared straight ahead while the woman glanced around.
Lyle appeared from the back of the restaurant. “Jack Forrester?” he asked, but he wasn’t looking at the male model. His eyes were glued to Jack’s dark-haired escort.
“You’re Lyle Woodward?” the woman said as her already pale face drained of color.
Lyle shook Jack’s outstretched hand. Olivia couldn’t be certain, but something wasn’t right about Jack Forrester. For such a gorgeous man, his movements were jerky, almost hesitant, and not once did he try to disengage from the woman at his side.
Olivia bit her lip when the guy at table three waved her over, shaking his empty glass to let her know he needed a refill. She grabbed the pitcher and moved away, hoping to catch Jack Forrester’s eye. Unfortunately, he seemed too involved with Lyle to notice the sexy sway of her hips. Damn. Maybe she was losing her touch.
***
Lyle couldn’t believe his luck, or his misfortune, at having Jack Forrester’s sister scowl at him from across the table. What were the odds, Lyle wondered, of accosting the sister of his subject? He hadn’t accosted Erica Forrester, but she’d sure made him feel as if he had. Lyle doubted she’d told Jack about her nosy neighbor who’d scared her half to death.
“I wasn’t expecting a third,” Lyle said in reference to the two place settings at the table he’d requested. “I’ll get some more silverware when the waitress arrives.”
“Erica accompanies me on most of my out of the office meetings. She won’t always be present, but since we’ll be working so closely together over the next few months, I thought it wise for you to meet.”
Lyle stared at Erica, trying unsuccessfully to catch her eye. “I’m not sure if Erica mentioned it, but we sort of met a few days ago.”
“Really?” Jack tilted his head in Erica’s direction. “No, she didn’t mention it.”
“I didn’t know it was him,” Erica said. “He knocked on the door when I was alone at the house. I was rude, but he scared me. I didn’t hear a car pull up.”
“We’re neighbors,” Lyle explained. “I crossed the river after I saw the furniture delivery trucks and the moving van.” He rubbed at the back of his neck when her irritated stare had his hair standing on end. “I just wanted to say hello.”
Jack laughed. “Let me guess. Did she slam the door in your face?”
Lyle felt himself relax just a fraction. “Sort of. After she told me she knew how to use a gun.”
Jack’s laugh echoed through the room. “Priceless. I wish I’d been there.”
“I’m glad you find this funny.” Erica crossed her arms over her ample chest and seemed to melt further into her seat. She acted overly embarrassed about the misunderstanding. Perhaps she felt as he did: unwittingly attracted and unsure what to do about it. He’d thought of her constantly since their encounter. He wondered how he’d mend the gap between them as neighbors. He knew his attraction was more than a little inconvenient considering he was writing her brother’s biography.
“Don’t be so dramatic, Erica.” Jack turned his head in Lyle’s direction. “I thought you lived in Lower Fork?”
“I do for now. I’m renovating the cabin on my parents’ land. It should be ready in a couple of months.”
“Are you renovating it yourself?”
“Some. What I’m able to. I have to run power from the main house, and that’s the biggest delay.”
Lyle watched Jack’s hands on the tabletop, fingering the napkin and utensils. Something seemed off, but he couldn’t put his finger on what.
“So you know where we’ll be living,” Jack said. “I’d appreciate you coming to the house for the interviews. I don’t like to travel and I can’t afford to be away from my computers for too long.”
Lyle wondered why a man of Jack’s wealth didn’t have every gadget known to man at his fingertips. Surely he could keep abreast of the markets on any number of hand held devices. “That’s no problem. I doubt my roommate would appreciate if I turned her apartment into a workspace.”
“Her?”
Lyle looked up and saw Olivia approaching. “Speak of the devil.”
***
“Good afternoon,” Olivia said in her most seductive voice. “Welcome to the Golden Tap. I’m—”
“Olivia.”
Olivia breath hitched when her name floated through Jack’s lips. She’d heard that voice before; she recognized the way he said her name, stretching out the four syllables as if pouring each one over ice in a hand cut tumbler. She couldn’t believe her luck. “I guess I wasn’t much of a challenge.”
Jack swiveled his incredible body in her direction and lifted his head. A nerve along Olivia’s spine began to tingle.
“You two know each other?” Lyle asked.
The grin on Jack’s face widened. “Not personally, but I’m hoping to change that.”
Olivia glanced around the faces at the table. Lyle seemed as confused as she did, Jack’s female companion bared her teeth and seemed ready to strike, and Jack stared at Olivia’s chest. “Uh, we’ve spoken on the phone.”
“How’s the teaching?” Jack asked. “Not well, I’d assume, since you’re waiting tables.”
“My brother owns the Tap. I’m doing him a favor.”
“Your brother owns both the raft shop and the restaurant? I’ll have to meet this paragon of industry.”
“He also owns Golden Mountain Sports,” Lyle added. “They rent skis, boards, ice skates, and snow shoes.”
“I’m surprised this area isn’t called the Golden Fork.”
“Ha,” Olivia chuckled, “that would have been a cute name for the restaurant.”
“Cute, indeed.” Jack pushed his chair back and stood up. The woman stood up at the same time and reached for his arm. Jack patted her hand where it wrapped around his impressive bicep. “I’m fine, Erica.” He turned toward Olivia, oblivious to how close they were standing. “Olivia, would you mind helping me find the restroom?”
“Oh, sure.” Olivia stepped back to give him some room. She pointed with her pen to the narrow hall past the stage. “It’s right back there.”
A devious smile played on the corners of his lips as his eyes bore into Olivia’s face. “I’m afraid I’ll need an escort. I’m as blind as a bat.”
Chapter 13
“I’ll take you.” Erica grabbed his hand and placed it on her arm, but Jack shooed her away.
“I’d appreciate it if Olivia could take me. If you have the time?” Jack asked.
Erica watched the silly girl’s face register shock as her eyes moved up and down Jack’s body as if looking for clues she’d missed. Stupid, flighty thing. What in the world was wrong with her brother?
“Um, sure.” Olivia put her arm in his hand. “How is this done exactly?”
“Bend your elbow and walk beside me. Let me know if something’s in my way.”
“Okay.” She took slow, deliberate steps away from the table.
Erica turned in her chair and watched, poised and ready to pounce if she led him astray.
“Relax,” Lyle said, diverting her attention. “Olivia’s not an idiot.”
“I guess we’ll see.” She stared across the table at Lyle Woodward. The fascination she’d felt the moment she laid eyes on him flared to life as he stared back with his butterscotch eyes.
“So that’s why he dropped off the face of the earth two years ago.”
“You didn’t know?” Good Lord. What had Jack gotten her into? “Then why did you agree to write the book?”
Lyle shrugged. “Simple. I need the money.”
“And now you see dollar signs.”
“I saw dollar signs before. From the research I’ve done on your brother, he’s led a fascinating life. Even without the blindness, he’s an excellent subject. Now that I know he’s blind…”
“Well,” she faced him after watching Jack disappear into the men’s restroom, “I guess that makes your day. Breaking the news. You get to answer the mystery of why Jack Forrester dropped out of the game. Trust me, people want to know.”
“It’s an interesting twist. I can appreciate a good hook. Why the big secret?”
“You’ll have to ask him.”
Lyle studied her. She knew he would be a problem, she just didn’t know how much of a problem. He sat back in his chair and folded his hands across his stomach. “Why do you dislike me so much?”
For that very reason, she wanted to say. That directness, that way he had of looking at her and exposing her. “I don’t dislike you. I don’t know you.”
“I suppose we’ll get to know each other soon enough.”
“Your book’s about Jack, not me.”
“You’re in Jack’s life. You’re his right hand and have been since he lost his vision, I’d guess.”
“You’re going to have to keep on guessing.”
“This doesn’t have to be an adversarial relationship, Erica. I’m not going to smear your brother. I’m writing about his life—at his request.”
“His request,” Erica stressed. “Not mine.”
“Fair enough. So why wouldn’t he have told me about his sight?”
“I don’t know.” She felt him trying to peel her layers away. She snuck a glance at the restroom where Olivia slumped against the wall.
“I think you do.”
“Look,” she leaned her elbows on the table as her temper flared to life, “you want answers, ask Jack. I’m only here because he needs me.”
“So that’s what you do? You help Jack? Like a Seeing-Eye dog?”
Erica sat up straight as his words stuck her like a blow to the face. “How dare you.”
“Well, it’s an honest observation. He doesn’t use a cane, and I don’t see a service animal lying at his feet.”
“He’s not totally blind, but he doesn’t like to go new places alone.”
“Can’t blame him. If he’d told me, I could have come to him.”
“He had some weird fascination with Lower Fork. I’m guessing your blond roommate’s why. If I were you, I’d lock your girlfriend up for a while. He’s got a way with the ladies that even blindness can’t cure.”
He held her stare. Everything about him was too intense. “She’s not my girlfriend.”
Erica shrugged and hoped to mask her relief. Why did she care if he lived with a bombshell? She
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