Wild Iris Ridge (Hope's Crossing) (19 page)

“Right. At the same time the software had a security flaw big enough to fly a jumbo jet through. You didn’t create the security flaw.”

“No. Only the campaign that ended up making them a laughingstock in the industry.”

“I had assumed some heads rolled over that. I just never expected one of those to be yours, after all the good work you’ve done there.”

She shrugged. “One huge failure can obliterate a thousand small successes. That’s the way it goes.”

“So what are your plans?” he asked.

He was always on point, one of the many things she admired about him. Brass tacks with very little small talk. Aidan Caine had a reputation as someone aggressive but fair. She had enjoyed watching him take Caine Tech in amazing directions over the years.

“Right now I think I might go out and grab a piece of your father’s huckleberry pie.”

“You know that’s not what I mean.”

She sighed. “I know. The truth is, I have no idea. At the moment, I’m working to renovate Annabelle’s house. I plan to turn it into a bed and breakfast.”

“Going into the hospitality industry? I wouldn’t have expected that from you.”

“I plan to hire someone to run it for me. I know my own strengths, and I don’t think I’ve ever been particularly, er, hospitable. But Jess and Annabelle always talked about turning the house into a small inn someday. It seems only right that I make that dream come true for them, even though they’re not here to enjoy it.”

He studied her for just a moment and then gave a considering sort of nod and that elusive, sexy smile of his.

“Would you have any interest in coming to work for me?”

She stared at him, not sure her emotions could take another jolt right now. “You’re serious?”

“Jessica used to brag about you endlessly at every family party, long before you and I ever met. It made me curious, and I’ve tried to keep an eye on you over the years. I have to tell you, I’ve been very impressed with what I’ve seen and I’ve been planning to approach you about a career move for some time now. A guy never knows when he’s going to need a marketing genius in his corner.”

He had been watching her career? She wasn’t quite sure how she was supposed to feel about that.

“I’ve got to tell you, Aidan, that’s a little creepy.”

He gave a full-fledged laugh that drew the attention of several others at the party—including Brendan, who turned in their direction and suddenly glowered.

“Professional curiosity only,” he corrected. “No creepster intentions whatsoever.”

Okay, this was turning into one of the strangest evenings of her life. She couldn’t believe she was having this conversation with sexy gazillionaire tech geek Aidan Caine at Carter’s sixth birthday party.

“I’m serious about the job offer. I would love to have you on board at Caine Tech.”

“I got fired. You heard that part, right? I screwed up and lost NexGen millions of dollars.”

“I’m completely confident your responsibility in that fiasco was minimal, and I’ve never been of the let’s-find-a-scapegoat mentality.” He pulled out a business card and handed it to her. “That’s my private cell number. Think about it, Lucy. I can have my people throw together a very enticing package. The only catch is, you would have to consider relocating. I’ve got a new endeavor in the Portland area that might be perfect for your skill set.”

“I’ll think about it,” she said, tucking the card into her pocket.

“Good.” He gave her that full-fledged smile again that shattered geek-girl hearts around the world and returned to the party.

She stared after him for several seconds, unable to believe what had just happened.

The fact that Aidan had made this offer now, tonight, just fifteen minutes after she had reached the heartbreaking decision that she would have to leave Hope’s Crossing seemed an eerie coincidence.

This could be the answer to all her worries. She could sell Iris House, move on with her life and leave Brendan to move on with his.

“Hey! Aunt Lucy!” Carter raced up to her. He had been running nonstop all evening, she could tell, his face flushed with the excitement of being the center of attention at his party. When this was over, he was going to drop like a rock.

“Hi, bud.”

“Can I play with Max?”

“Sure,” she answered. “Just be careful. Not too rough.”

She watched him go with Max in the crook of his arm, even as her heart started to ache all over again. The job offer from Aidan might have come at a perfect time, but she had no idea how she could endure leaving Carter and Faith—and their father—behind.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

L
UCY
DECIDED
THE
mark of a truly great gardener was someone who coordinated her plantings so perfectly that it could still look stunning months after the gardener wasn’t around, when somebody else with no green thumb took over caring for the spot.

Two weeks after Carter’s party, Lucy sat on the arbor bench that had become her favorite spot at Iris House, savoring the perfection of an early June morning after her run.

A light breeze stirred the plantings, making the flower heads bob and dance as bees buzzed from bud to bud. All around her, the garden bloomed with rich, verdant life.

In the soft, rosy morning light, it looked like a showplace—even though she had barely touched the garden, only weeded a little and cleared out the dead heads.

Though it was early days yet in the short Hope’s Crossing growing season, she thought the yard was shaping up to be particularly beautiful this year. Maybe it was their early spring or the perfect level of moisture the area had received through the winter—or maybe the mulch and fertilizer she had added on the advice of Annabelle’s neighbor Lou—but everything was green and lush.

Lucy gazed at the home whose care had fallen to her. Iris House looked truly beautiful, warm and inviting.

Would her great-aunt have been happy with what Lucy had accomplished here?

The work inside was nearly done. Dylan and Sam had wrapped up the major construction work the week before and the crew of painters she had hired for the rest of the house had finished two days earlier.

Genevieve only had to do her part, moving the furniture and making all the small decorating changes that would infuse glowing life into the house.

Leaving would be so difficult, especially after all the work she had poured into it.

She would miss so many things about this place. The creaky stairs, the softly blooming garden.

The inescapable sense of Annabelle’s presence.

She had to go, though. She had no choice. Her decision had been made, the die cast.

Two weeks from now, Iris House would officially open for business as a bed and breakfast. She was close to hiring a great retired couple to run the place for her, and she knew it would be a huge success. Already, she had taken reservations several weeks out.

She wouldn’t be here to see it, though. A week from Monday, she would be moving to Portland to take over as marketing director of one of Aidan Caine’s new companies.

A vehicle engine broke the silence of the summer morning as it drove past, and her pulse jumped.

Brendan. She recognized his SUV and was grateful for the arbor that concealed her from view.

He had likely just finished an overnight shift at the fire station and was heading home for a few hours’ sleep. He slowed down as he passed Iris House and she drew herself farther into the arbor.

She wasn’t sure which one of them was doing the better job of avoiding the other, but she hadn’t seen him in two weeks.

She was painfully aware that she tended to finish her run at the same time each morning and always spent a little extra time sitting out here in the garden, wondering if she would see him returning home when he was on the overnight shift.

Yes. She was ridiculous.

She sighed. She didn’t have time to indulge this today. In a few hours, she needed to leave for the town’s Giving Hope day, when everyone in town gathered to help each other clean yards, build sheds, paint fences and otherwise do what they could to make Hope’s Crossing a better place.

When she walked into the kitchen, she found Crystal dipping her spoon into a bowl of cereal at the table, Max playing at her feet. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she looked sweet and young, bubbling with excitement.

She still couldn’t believe this was the same sullen girl who had shown up at her doorstep weeks ago.

“Morning,” her half sister said. “Want some cereal? I’m happy to pour you a bowl.”

“I had some toast earlier. I need protein.” She grabbed a Greek yogurt out of the refrigerator and slid into the chair across from Crystal.

“How was your run?” Crystal asked.

How was it ever? A necessary evil if she wanted to stay in any kind of shape.

“Okay. Are you ready for today?” she asked.

“Yes! It’s going to be so fun. I’m meeting up with Peyton and Ava and their friend Molly.”

Crystal had become good friends with Spencer Gregory’s daughter, Peyton, and Brendan’s niece Ava. “That should be fun.”

“They’re a blast,” Crystal agreed. “I really wish I could stay in Hope’s Crossing for the summer.”

“I’m sure your friends in Denver will be happy to have you back. And now you have friends here, too. It shouldn’t be hard to stay in touch, with all the options at your disposal.”

“I guess,” Crystal said. “Maxie! Cut it out.”

The puppy had one of the laces of her sneaker in his mouth and was tugging it. The little poodle-terrier mix was still tiny and still far too cute for his own good.

“Are you sure we can’t we take him with us today?” Crystal asked. “He’s going to be lonely. We should have arranged a playdate with Daisy. He hasn’t seen her in
forever.
The two of them could have kept each other company. Do you think it’s too late to call Brendan?”

“Yes. Far too late.” In more ways than one. “Max will be okay. Don’t worry. We’ll put him outside in the play yard and he’ll have a great time sniffing around in the grass or sleeping in his crate. If I can swing it, I’ll try to come back here during the day to play with him a little, then later you can take him for a walk.”

“Okay.”

Lucy finished her yogurt and glanced at the clock. The morning was already slipping away. “I still need to take a shower or we’ll miss the whole day.”

“Hurry, then,” Crystal said. “I’ve been looking forward to this for weeks.”

Lucy tossed her yogurt carton into the trash and headed for her bedroom, wondering how she was going to get through the last week of her stay in Hope’s Crossing—and how she would possibly leave.

* * *

“D
ID
YOU
HAVE
something to do with this?” she hissed to Genevieve Beaumont as she looked at her volunteer assignment for the day.

“What?” Gen asked with deceptive innocence.

Lucy frowned and held out the paper. “Assigning me to work with Brendan Caine all day clearing the Wild Iris Ridge trail.”

She would have thought her friend had entirely too much on her plate right now to bother with a little matchmaking. She was in charge of decorating for that evening’s gala and charity auction, she was finishing the work at Iris House
and
her wedding was only a week away.

Lucy had agreed to stay until that weekend so she didn’t have to miss the wedding, which was one more thing she wasn’t sure how she would endure.

“I didn’t have anything to do with the assignments other than to hand them out,” Genevieve protested now. “Claire McKnight and Charlotte figured out all the details this year.”

Charlotte. She should have known.

“Is there a problem?” Gen asked innocently. “You and Brendan are friends, right?”

Right. Friends who happened to ignite whenever they found themselves in the same room.

“It’s going to be fun,” Genevieve said. “In fact, maybe I’ll trade you. I would much rather be outside enjoying this beautiful June day than spending all day decorating for the gala.”

Under other circumstances, she might have been thrilled at the chance to spend the day in the mountains. Her time in Hope’s Crossing was giving her a definite appreciation for the Colorado landscape.

Being assigned to work in the mountains all day with the man she had been doing her best to avoid was a different matter.

“What will we have to do?” she asked.

“Oh, you know. Cut back the overgrown branches, pick up litter. That sort of thing. It shouldn’t be too hard,” Genevieve said. “It’s really beautiful up there. Dylan and I were just up there the other day walking with Tucker. It’s not very steep, and once you reach the overlook, you have some great views down into the valley, almost as good as the Woodrose Mountain trail. It’s a shame more people don’t use it.”

“It sounds lovely.”

“I do think you’ll enjoy spending the day there. But we can switch things around if you would rather not tackle that assignment. I’m sure we can find someone else to help Brendan. The whole point of the Giving Hope day is to have fun helping each other. You shouldn’t be stuck doing something you would rather not.”

She didn’t know how to tell Genevieve the problem wasn’t the assignment itself but the person who was to share it with her.

Anything she said now would sound ridiculous. She would just have to deal. They were assigned a mile section of trail. She could see no reason they had to work cheek to jowl. She probably wouldn’t even see him all day.

“No. I don’t need a new assignment. It should be fine.” She spoke the words so stiffly it made her jaw ache a little.

“Oh, perfect. And look. Here’s Brendan now. Maybe you can ride to the trailhead together!”

She really liked Genevieve and considered her a good friend and a fantastic decorator. But in that moment, she wanted to pick up one of those water bottles they were handing out to the volunteers and dump the whole thing on the other woman’s perfectly styled hair.

Apparently she hadn’t completely shed her juvenile delinquent ways.

She could do this. Lucy manufactured a polite smile from somewhere and turned to face him for the first time in two weeks.

“Hi,” she said, hating that her voice came out breathless and a little squeaky.

Something flared in his eyes when their gazes met. “Morning,” he murmured, his voice rough and a little raspy.

Her insides seemed to shiver. Those furtive little schoolgirl glances she stole as he was driving home on the occasional morning hadn’t prepared her to remember how gorgeous he was—big, tough, muscular, especially in a T-shirt that molded to his pecs and low-slung cargo pants.

Amazingly, Genevieve looked wholly unaffected by so much in-your-face masculinity.

The woman had to be crazy.

“Hey, Bren.” His sister-in-law-to-be beamed at him. “No kids today?”

“No. Each class at their school is working on a project together. Faith’s class is sorting donated books at the library, and Carter is on playground cleanup duty.”

“Oh, that’s right. The teachers have been working closely with the Giving Hope committee this year to make sure the elementary school children are involved.”

“That seems like a great idea,” Lucy said, grateful she sounded a little less flustered now. “The earlier they learn to help others, the better.”

“That’s the idea,” Genevieve said.

“I should probably get going,” Brendan said. “Where’s the rest of my crew?”

Gen pointed to Lucy with a wide smile. “You’re looking at her.”

Dismay spread across his features for just a moment before he returned them to a stoic mask. “Seriously?”

“You two are going to have so much fun,” Genevieve said. “I don’t know what supplies you brought, but if you think of anything else you might need, Chief McKnight and Brodie Thorne are handing out tools in the parking lot.”

A muscle flexed in his jaw—the same jaw she had pressed her mouth to a few weeks ago.

“Do you have gloves?” he asked.

She held out her flowered cotton gardening gloves. “Will these do?”

He snorted. “Sure, if we were picking petunias. Since we’re not, you’re going to need a heavy-duty pair. I’ll stop at the fire station and pick some up for you. If I can find a small enough pair for you.”

“Um, thanks.”

“You want a lift to the trailhead?”

Reluctance filtered through the question. He obviously didn’t seem any more eager to spend time together in an enclosed space than she was.

“I’ll meet you there, just in case you’re called out on a fire or something and have to leave early.”

“Smart,” he said, and she tried not to be hurt at the relief she saw in his eyes.

That was her. Smart Lucy Drake, who was a braniac in just about every aspect of her life—except when it came to protecting her heart.

* * *

I
F
HE
HOPED
the hard physical labor of cleaning up a trail would distract him from the simmering hunger for Lucy, he was doomed to disappointment.

Two hours after they started work on the Wild Iris Ridge trail, Brendan’s mood still hadn’t improved.

She was a hard, hard woman to ignore.

He thought he had a system figured out by sending her ahead to pick up trash along the trail—the occasional cigarette butt or water bottle left over from last summer’s hiking season—while he focused on clearing the deadfall branches that blocked the path.

Out of sight should have meant out of mind, but he still couldn’t seem to stop thinking about her, wondering about her, worrying about her.

He should have figured his plan wouldn’t work, after the past two weeks. He hadn’t seen her once in that time but every single day he had to fight the fierce temptation to go up to Iris House.

The kids hadn’t stopped nagging him about it. They were getting a little tired of his excuses and Faith had even asked him if he and Lucy had had a fight.

He had made up some kind of answer to her about how they were all really busy right now. It wasn’t a lie. His life was a constant juggling act. Homework, shopping, school pickup, not to mention his actual job as fire chief responsible for fifty volunteer firefighters and EMTs.

As the kids wrapped up their school year, he had the added fun of trying to figure out day care for the summer and making sure they were enrolled in art camps, baseball clinics, the horseback riding lessons Faith had been begging to take.

He didn’t find it very amusing that while all those things might fill every waking hour he still managed to fit in plenty of time to wonder about Lucy and miss her like hell.

He could have found a chance to see her. A few times late at night, he had been sitting on his favorite chair on the porch and could see the flutter of a curtain or lights going off in one room and on in another up at Iris House.