Summer at Lake Haven

by RaeAnne Thayne

  “There it goes,” Josh said ruefully. “I was pretty sure that would happen eventually. The power goes out every time the wind blows too hard. Don’t worry. I have a backup generator if we need it and plenty of lanterns. Why don’t you sit by the fire and I’ll find some light?”

  He gathered up all the lanterns and emergency candles he could find and lit them all.

  “Sorry about that,” he said again.

  “Do you think it will come back again soon?”

  “Hard to say. Sometimes it’s only out an hour, sometimes all night. I’ll keep my fingers crossed it’s a short outage.”

  “Why do you live out here, instead of closer to your shop in town?”

  He considered his reasons. “The horses, mostly. I can ride into the mountains right after work without having to hitch up a trailer. And I suppose because I like the quiet. I grew up in a large family with two brothers and three sisters. My childhood was never quiet.”

  “How do you fare in the winter? Aren’t you stranded up here?”

  “There are a half dozen other year-round properties among the vacation cabins. The county plows to the end of the pavement and the rest of us trade off plowing the lower section of the road so we can get out. It’s beautiful up here in the winter.”

  “I’ll have to take your word for that.”

  He wanted to invite her to come back in a month or so but didn’t want to scare her off. Anyway, she would see plenty of snow in the morning.

  “Can I interest you in dessert? We could make s’mores in front of the fire.”

  “I’ve never had a s’more. Is it marshmallows and biscuits?”

  “Plus chocolate. You can’t forget the chocolate. I have a special recipe. I use Nutella and sliced strawberries. And I happen to have some of both.”

  She looked intrigued. “Sure. All right. How can I help?”

  “You can help me slice a couple of strawberries, if you want.”

  By candlelight, they worked together gathering the ingredients.

  “Do you always keep these things on hand in case you’re entertaining a lady friend?”

  He had to laugh. “No. My brother and his kids came up to stay and go for an overnight ride last weekend and we did s’mores over the campfire. You’re just fortunate enough to benefit from the extras.”

  “Lucky me.” She smiled and Josh suddenly felt a little breathless.

  He was the lucky one. Gemma Summerhill was here, in his house, and he wanted to savor every moment.

  CHAPTER THREE

  “THAT MIGHT POSSIBLY be the most delicious thing I’ve ever had in my life.” Gemma swallowed the last bite of s’more, the marshmallow, strawberry and Nutella melting on her mouth.

  “I’ve got a couple more strawberries if you want to go for another one.”

  “I can’t. Really. You’ve stuffed me to the brim.”

  “Well, I don’t want them to go to waste. I’d better have another one.”

  While Joshua speared a marshmallow on the long-handled fork and turned it to the fire’s heat, Gemma sat back, perfectly content.

  She should be frightened. She was trapped in a mountain hideaway, possibly for several more hours if not days, with a man she barely knew, in the middle of an October snowstorm.

  She wasn’t. All her nerves seemed to have disappeared around the time the power went out.

  How strange, that something that had starting out so frightening could evolve into an evening she had enjoyed more than any she could remember in a long time.

  Joshua Bailey was wonderful company. He was funny, clever, solicitous. And, she had to admit, deliciously good-looking.

  After he finished roasting the marshmallow, he slapped it on a biscuit, spread Nutella from a jar on the other one, added sliced strawberries then took a big bite of the whole concoction.

  “There you go. The third one was just as good as the first,” he declared after he finished it off.

  His dog hopped onto the sofa to curl next to him and Josh absently stroked Toby’s ears. She had a feeling this was a routine they were both accustomed to.

  He was very different from the somewhat arrogant American cowboy she had taken him for the first time they had met. This version of him was sweet and funny and definitely a man she liked very much and wanted to get to know better.

  “So,” he said into the conversational lull. “I have a serious question for you.”

  “Oh?”

  “I’m a bit hesitant to ask it.”

  “Go ahead,” she said. “You’ve told me about your brothers’ divorces, your mother’s breast cancer scare and breaking up with your girlfriend two years ago. I suppose it’s my turn. I can always refuse to answer, if you get too cheeky.”

  He gave her a careful look that sent alarm bells ringing. When he spoke, his voice was measured and his eyes were solemn. “Does anybody else in town know you’re British nobility, Lady Gemma?”

  Of all the questions he might have asked her, that was the last one she expected. She felt her breath catch. “I beg your p-pardon?”

  “Sorry.” He gave her a rueful look. “I shouldn’t have just sprung that on you like that. You obviously have your reasons for keeping quiet.”

  “Yes. I most certainly do. Which begs the question of how you found out and how long you’ve known.”

  And why hadn’t he said anything before now?

  “That’s somewhat of a long story and kind of a crazy coincidence.”

  “Tell me.”

  “Three years ago, I happened to be in the UK visiting one of our suppliers, a company that makes a phenomenal line of fly-fishing rods we carry at Bailey Outfitters.”

  “Summer Rods,” she said faintly. It had to be. It was one of the smaller of her father’s many businesses but one Lord Henry was passionate about.

  He nodded. “They have an almost cultlike following among serious anglers and we’re fortunate enough to be their exclusive supplier across three states. Which certainly made a buying trip to Dorset to meet the owner worth my while.”

  “You said you were there...three years ago.” The pieces were beginning to fall into place.

  He nodded, the good humor fading from his eyes to be replaced by compassion. “The week I was there, all the UK papers were filled with a story about a tragic car accident involving a truck driver who fell asleep and plowed through an intersection, killing both the driver of the truck and a passenger in the car. A passenger who happened to be a viscount, the son of the Earl of Amherst. The same Earl of Amherst who owns Summer Rods and whom I was there to meet.”

  She should have known the world was too small these days for her to hide away, even in a remote community in the mountains of Idaho.

  “Also seriously injured was the earl’s only daughter, who was the driver of the vehicle,” he went on. “The story in the papers included a picture of you and two brothers from happier times.”

  She couldn’t breathe suddenly and the room seemed too small. No. She wouldn’t pass out again. She could talk about the accident without falling apart.

  Still, she rose from the easy chair and paced to the fire, trying to gather her thoughts so she could respond without breaking down.

  “I’m so sorry,” Joshua said, his voice low. “I shouldn’t have brought it up. You obviously have your reasons for not using your title here. It’s none of my business.”

  “No. It’s not,” she said faintly.

  She felt a warm, wet pressure against her hand and realized Toby had risen from beside Joshua and had come to her, probably sensing her turmoil.

  “I won’t say anything. I’ve known since you came to town and haven’t mentioned it to anyone. You can trust me to keep your secrets.”

  She didn’t know how to respond, too busy fighting down the familiar guilt and pain that always hit her when she thought
about the accident.

  “I’ll show you to the guest bedroom. I started a fire in the woodstove so it should be warm, even if the power doesn’t come back.”

  The odd note in his voice finally made her turn from the fire to face him. He was genuinely upset at her distress.

  None of it was Joshua’s fault. He had only asked a question that set up all kinds of flashbacks.

  “The accident that killed my brother was...horrific. I was in hospital for a month and nearly lost my leg.”

  “Oh, Gemma.”

  “I would have gladly let them take both legs and my arms too, if I could have brought David back. He was a shining light in the world and in my family and I... I took that away.”

  To her horror, she felt tears begin to leak out, as if she hadn’t cried enough over the past three years.

  Her tears only intensified his distress. He cursed under his breath. “I’m sorry. So sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  Somehow, the compassion in his voice made everything feel more acute and fresh. She could feel more tears escape and tried to tell herself it was a combination of exhaustion and stress.

  “I’m the one who’s sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Do you have a tissue?”

  He rushed to the kitchen and returned a moment later with an entire box. “Here,” he said. But instead of handing her the box, he took one out and dabbed at her eyes, completely disarming her.

  She couldn’t hold back the tears now and let out a sob. He looked helpless and uncertain for only a moment before he wrapped his arms around her.

  Gemma froze for a moment, not sure what to do, but he was solid and strong and offered comfort beyond measure. She finally wrapped her arms around him and let herself cry.

  Her family was so careful around her, so solicitous. Margaret and Henry didn’t bring up the accident unless she did. They rarely even mentioned David’s name, though he was a constant presence at every family gathering.

  She tried to be strong most of the time but it felt heavenly to lean on Joshua’s strength for a moment.

  Still, she couldn’t stand here all night blubbering.

  “I’m sorry,” she said after a moment and wiped at her eyes with a clean tissue. “I don’t know what came over me.”

  “My mom says that sometimes a woman just needs a good, hard cry to clean out the cobwebs in her tear ducts.”

  “Your mother sounds very smart.”

  “She is. And she’ll be the first one to tell you so.”

  To her surprise, she could feel some of the sadness leave her. She even managed a small smile. While she loved being held by him, Gemma had a feeling a little distance would make her story easier to share.

  She wanted to share it with Joshua Bailey, though she couldn’t have said exactly why. She hadn’t even told any of her coworkers or new girlfriends in Haven Point the truth, but she wanted to talk about it with Joshua.

  She returned to the easy chair and was grateful beyond words when Toby came with her and settled at her feet.

  “David’s death devastated my family, as I’m sure you can imagine.”

  Josh nodded. “I can. My youngest sister died during surgery for a congenital heart problem when she was a year old. My family never really recovered.”

  “Oh. I’m so sorry.” It was an important reminder to her that everyone, no matter how good-natured and charming on the surface, could have deep pain in the past.

  “Then you understand. In our case, it wasn’t only that my parents lost their son. As I’m sure you can imagine, when a title is involved, things can get messy. As the eldest, David was set to become the next Earl of Amherst when my father dies. David’s death means that responsibility automatically passes to my second brother, Ian, who already had a thriving career he loved and never wanted anything to do with the earldom.”

  “And you blame yourself because Ian now has to give up his career.”

  She should have expected he would cut straight to the heart of matters. “In a nutshell, yes.”

  “Balderdash.”

  The word was so unexpected coming from him—more like something her maiden aunt might have said—that Gemma had to laugh.

  “Pardon?”

  “I’d like to say something a little stronger but I’ll wait to use the full creative range of my vocabulary until we know each other a little better.”

  His words sparked a little flare of anticipation inside her. She wanted a chance to get to know him better. Wanted it very much.

  “My point is,” Joshua said, “you can’t possibly blame yourself for something that wasn’t your fault. Even the accounts in the newspapers I read back then said so. The truck driver fell asleep at the wheel. How could you possibly be responsible for that?”

  Yes, she had heard that argument before. “I know that, intellectually. It’s hard to reconcile that with my heart, which can’t help but feel that my brother would be here today if only I had made different choices. If I had taken a different route home from the holiday party, if we had left ten minutes earlier or later. Or if I hadn’t been such a coward that I needed him to go to my company party with me in the first place.”

  There it was, the thing she blamed herself for the most. Her own weakness.

  In the flickering light from the fire, she didn’t miss the steady, probing look Joshua aimed at her. “I sense there’s more to that particular part of the story.”

  So much more. She had never shared that with anyone else. Not even her parents. “You don’t want to hear it.”

  “We’re trapped here together for at least the next twelve hours. The s’mores are all gone. You might as well tell me.”

  Before the night was over, she had a feeling he would wring every single story from her.

  She sighed, memories flooding back. “At the time, I was head of Programming for a startup in London. It was an exciting place to work. The owner of the company was ambitious and creative but...he had no boundaries.”

  His gaze sharpened. “In what way?”

  “In every way. He was interested in me, I wasn’t interested in him. I told him no but he continued to be...inappropriate with me. I should have quit. I was building up to that, actually. I loved the work but was so tired of his pestering. Meanwhile I had the obligatory holiday party to get through so I asked David to go with me. For once, I thought having Viscount Summersby along to have a word with my boss might help clear the air and make my situation more bearable so I could stay.”

  Her leg throbbed with pain suddenly and she tried to force her muscles to relax their sudden tension. “I should have simply handled the matter myself. If I had been stronger, if I had stood up for myself firmly and decisively, Colin would have had to back down. There was no need for me to drag my brother into it. No need at all.”

  “Did your brother mind helping you?”

  “No. He was glad to do it, actually. He pulled Colin aside and subtly gave him a talking-to at the party about proper behavior in the workplace.” Despite her pain, she had to smile a little, thinking of her protective brother standing up for her.

  “As a brother myself, I can tell you I love when my sisters or brothers ask me to help them with something. I think David would have minded more if you hadn’t turned to him for help.”

  Despite his quiet tone, his words seemed to resonate straight to her heart. He was so right. David had been thrilled when she reached out to him.

  She thought of how happy he had been, almost giddy, after talking to Colin. He didn’t go full viscount very often but when he did, David could be formidable.

  “I also don’t think he would like the idea of you spending even a moment blaming yourself for what happened. I imagine he would want you to go ahead and embrace your life and all the adventures to come.”

  She could almost hear those very words coming out of David�
��s mouth. Tears threatened again but this time she managed to blink them away.

  “How did you know I’ve been needing to hear that?”

  He smiled. “Lucky guess. Am I wrong?”

  “No. I guess I needed the reminder.”

  “Good. Which still doesn’t explain why you’re traveling incognito, your Ladyship.”

  Oh, she liked him. More with every passing moment. “I have spent my entire twenty-eight years being Lady Gemma Summerhill. There are obviously certain expectations that go along with that. People always treated me differently, from primary school to university to my career. I never knew if people wanted to be my friend because they truly liked me or because my father is the wealthy and powerful Earl of Amherst.”

  “You are eminently likeable,” he said, his voice rather gruff.

  She could feel her face flush. “Being Lady Gemma in the technology field was more of a curse than a benefit. Every time I was introduced, people would make a big deal about it. After David died, I became not just Lady Gemma but Poor Lady Gemma, which was only about a thousand times worse. When I decided to take the job with Caine Tech, I wanted to be done with all of that. To begin somewhere new without history constantly hanging over me. Does that make sense at all?”

  He smiled softly, leaving her feeling lit up from the inside. “Perfect sense. There’s an incredible freedom in starting over without the expectations of the past, isn’t there?”

  “Yes. Exactly.”

  “I won’t say anything, I promise.”

  “Thank you,” she said and was astonished at the complete trust she had in him.

  Joshua Bailey was a man a woman could count on. She didn’t know how she could be so certain, but something told her that when he met the right woman, he would do everything possible to make her know she was loved and appreciated every day of her life.

  She wanted to be that woman suddenly, with a ferocity that astonished her.

  It would be terribly easy to fall in love with him.