by Kay Correll
And yet… she wanted him to stay.
She poured glasses of wine, and they went to sit out on the porch swing. The chair gently swayed and they sat in silence, staring out into the quiet darkness.
“I had a really good time today.” She wasn’t sure why she was admitting it to him.
“I did, too.” He shifted in the swing to look at her. “A really, really good time.” He reached and took her wineglass and placed their glasses on the worn planks of the porch.
Her heart began to pound.
He reached out and touched her cheek, ever so gently, then brushed her hair away from her face. “I want to kiss you again.”
“You do?” Her pulse was racing so fast she could barely catch her breath.
“Very much so.” He touched her cheek.
“I—”
“I’m just waiting for you to ask me to kiss you.” His finger trailed along her lips.
Her mind and heart quarreled. Her rational, practical side argued with her let’s-just-jump-in side.
His finger stilled, and he looked directly at her, waiting.
“Kiss me.” She closed her eyes and soon felt his lips on hers. Then she forgot about what she was worried about, forgot what her practical side had said.
She forgot everything except for his kiss.
Chapter 24
Harrison sat in his cabin the next morning after doing some more research on Blue Horizon Company. He scrolled through the photos on his phone that he’d taken of the papers in Walt’s office at the cabin. He paused when he got to the list of investors.
Gloria Edmonds.
That’s why her name sounded familiar to him.
He jumped up from the table. Yesterday, he’d meant to tell Nora what he’d found out about the sale, but they’d gotten to talking and he hadn’t wanted to disturb the fragile camaraderie they’d shared with talk of the sale and rezoning.
But now he needed to tell her everything. No secrets. And he was sure she’d be interested to know that Gloria was behind some of her problems.
He hurried over to the lodge and saw Jason working the front desk. “Hey, I’m looking for your mother.”
“I think she headed up to the gazebo on the ridge. She goes up there sometimes when she needs time to think.” Jason eyed him. “She seemed… um… pensive this morning. Everything okay between you two?”
Harrison didn’t know what to say to him. It wasn’t his place to talk to Nora’s son about their shared kissed. So he just shrugged.
“Anyway, go out that door and there’s a path up to the top of the ridge. Can’t miss it.”
He hurried outside and climbed the trail to the top of the ridge. Nora stood at the railing of the gazebo, looking out over the lake and the mountains in the distance. She turned when she heard him approach, and he was rewarded with a smile.
He crossed the wooden planks and stood beside her. “Hey.” He covered her hand resting on the railing.
“Hi.” She smiled at him again.
He thought he could just stand here all day and look at that smile of hers. The smile that reached all the way to her amber eyes.
She nodded toward the lake. “Quite a view here, isn’t it?”
“It is. I’m thinking you know all the great views around these parts.”
“I’m a view collector,” she said seriously, paused, then grinned.
His phone dinged, and he took it out of his pocket and looked at it. Yet another text from Walt asking if his mother had signed the papers. He turned off the phone, determined to not let Walt interrupt this time with Nora.
“So, I need to talk to you. Do you have time now?”
She looked up at him with curiosity in her eyes. “I do.”
He led her over to a bench and they sat next to each other. “So… I did some investigating. Well, actually I went to my grandfather’s cabin and poked around. I mean I had every right to be there…”
“You do.” She nodded.
“But I still felt a bit guilty. But anyway, I found some paperwork and now I know for certain he’s cheating my mother.”
“What did she say when you told her?”
“Haven’t been able to reach her. She rarely carries her cell phone. If I don’t reach her tonight, I’ll have someone at the retirement center have her call me.” He took Nora’s hand in his, pleased she didn’t pull away when he did. “There’s more. It appears that Walt is actually one of the investors in the company buying the property. He’s selling for a low price because he’ll make his money on the sale of the condos. And he’s guaranteed a penthouse condo for life, rent-free.”
Nora shook her head. “Walt’s always got an angle.”
“And there’s more…” He squeezed her hand. “Gloria Edmonds is one of the investors, too.”
Nora sat silent for a moment, then stood and walked over to the railing. He got up to go stand beside her.
“That woman is always trying to make things harder for me. I shouldn’t be surprised that she’s involved in all this.”
He so wanted to reach out and smooth the creases of the frown firmly etched on her face.
Nora let out a long sigh. “But I’m not sure how this knowledge is going to change anything, except possibly get your mother her fair share, which she deserves.”
“I’m fairly certain my mother won’t sign the sale. She’s not going to want the cabin torn down. Or condos. She loves this lake… almost as much as you do.”
He was rewarded with another smile.
“I have to admit, nothing would make me happier than the sale not going through.”
“I’ve got a good idea.” He took her hand.
“What’s that?”
“Let’s get away for a while. How about you take me on a hike to one of those famous views of yours. I wouldn’t mind just forgetting all about this for a bit.”
“Now that sounds like a fabulous idea. Let’s go to our cabins and change into hiking gear, and I’ll meet you at my cabin in half an hour. Oh, and I’m driving.” Nora turned and headed back down the ridge and he followed in her wake, glad he’d suggested the outing and pleased to be spending more time with her.
Nora was strangely pleased with Harrison’s suggestion to get away for a bit. She was going to take him to Lost Lake, another one of her favorite views of the area. And she was driving because she was good and tired of climbing in and out of his ridiculous sports car. Who drove a sports car in the mountains, anyway?
Precisely thirty minutes later, Harrison showed up at her door in jeans, flannel shirt, and hiking shoes. He looked… good. Very good. She liked him so much better in this casual attire than his stuffy business outfits he usually wore. Well, he used to wear. She’d noticed he’d gotten more casual as he stayed here longer.
She drove them to the trailhead for the path up Grace’s Peak. “We start here, and then a trail veers off between Grace’s Peak and Sky View Mountain and heads to Lost Lake.”
He laughed. “Well, I’ll just follow you.”
They hiked along the pathway until they got to the ridge that cut between Grace’s Peak and Sky View Mountain. She paused there and let Harrison take in the view. Down in the valley between the mountains, the sunlight glistened off the surface of the lake. At the far end, a waterfall fed the lake.
He let out a low whistle. “This is gorgeous. Can’t believe I never came here as a kid. Though I wasn’t much of a hiker back then.”
“You weren’t?” She eyed him.
“I was the pudgy nerd. Out of shape.”
She looked at his trim, fit body and couldn’t reconcile it with an overweight nerdy boy.
He laughed. “Yes, I was the fat kid everyone made fun of.”
“Just can’t see it.” She shook her head.
“Truth.” He shrugged. “In college I started working out. Started eating healthy. And I think part of the weight was just how I was as a boy. Outgrew it. And, well, I worked hard on getting into shape. Which I’ll have to do again when I
leave here after eating all these delicious but fattening meals.”
“Well, hiking will help with that.” She turned and led them down the trail that dropped them beside Lost Lake. They sat on some boulders beside the lake to rest. She took a water bottle out of her backpack and handed it to Harrison. His long fingers wrapped around the container, and he took a long swallow. The sun lit up the few strands of gray in his hair, only making him look more handsome as far as she was concerned.
Not that it concerned her one bit if he was handsome or not.
Chapter 25
Harrison couldn’t remember when he’d had such a good, relaxing time, even with all the exercise. And exercising by taking a hike was a much more excellent way to get back into shape than running on a treadmill, watching the news on the monitor at the gym.
They slowly made their way back to Nora’s car and headed back to the lodge. He was sorry to see the outing end, but he knew she had to get back to work. He needed to call the retirement home and see if he could finally talk to his mother. Then he’d deal with Walt.
He walked Nora inside when they got to the lodge. Jason was still working at the front desk. “Oh, hey, Harrison. Did your mom catch up with you?”
“My mother? Did she call here looking for me?”
“Call? No, she was here looking for you.”
He took in a quick breath. Why hadn’t she told him she was coming? He pulled out his phone. No messages from her.
“Did she look okay?”
Jason looked at him strangely. “She looked fine to me.”
This was something he hadn’t expected but should have. His mother did like to take care of things herself when she could. Well, the good news was she must be feeling better. “Do you know where she is now?”
“She said something about visiting her nephew. That would be Walt, right?”
He whirled around to Nora. “I’ve got to go. I don’t trust Walt a bit.”
“Here, I’ll drive you.” They hurried off to her car, and she quickly drove to the cabin. When they pulled up to the cabin, Harrison jumped out of the car and hurried up to the front door. He tugged it open without even knocking.
His mother was sitting at the desk in Grandfather’s office, a pen in hand. Walt hovered at her side. She looked up when he strode into the room. “Oh, Harrison, dear. There you are.”
“Mother, what are you doing here? Are you sure you’re up to travel?”
“Of course I am. You don’t think a little bout of pneumonia would sideline me for long, did you? I told the doctor I was perfectly fine to travel. End of discussion.”
She did look perfectly healthy and not even exhausted from her travels.
“What are you doing?”
“Signing the sale papers. Walt told me you agreed it’s a fair deal.”
He strode up to the desk and grabbed the papers. There was his mother’s signature, clear as day. He threw the papers back on the desk. “Only, it’s not a fair deal and Walt knows it. And they’re going to tear down the cabin and put up condos.”
His mother stood, her eyes flashing. She turned and faced Walt. “Walter, is that true?”
“Well, I’m not sure what the buyer’s plans are…” he faltered.
“Except that you are one of the buyers,” Harrison interjected, his pulse racing. How dare Walter trick his mother into signing?
“But why would Walt buy this property when he owns it now?” His mother looked confused.
Walter’s eyes widened. “I—why do you think that?”
“Because you are. You’re an investor in Blue Horizon. Along with Chuck Smith and Gloria Edmonds and a few others I don’t recognize, but I bet Nora would.”
Nora came to stand beside him and rested a hand on his arm, a show of support.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. Aunt Ellen signed the papers. It’s a done deal.” Walt snatched the paper from the desk and held it close.
“Pretty sure a judge might rule against that…” Harrison narrowed his eyes.
“Well, you can try. But I bet it stands. And even if it doesn’t, in the event of a disagreement, my signature will be enough.”
“What are you talking about?” Harrison took a step toward Walt, fury raging through him.
“If there are no other descendants—and neither of us has children—I get to break any tie or disagreement on disposal of the property.”
“Disposal?” His mother’s eyes flashed. “Disposal? This property that has been in the family for generations. You want to dispose of it?”
“And where did you get that cockamamie idea that you get to decide? That’s not in the will.” Harrison balled his hands into fist, struggling to keep control.
“But it is in a letter I found in Grandfather’s safe. His wishes if there is a disagreement. I was here when he wrote it before he died.”
“I bet you were.” Yet another one of Walt’s tricks. “I’ll file an injunction tomorrow to stop the sale.”
Walter smirked. “Try it. The letter will hold up in court. Signed by Grandfather, Vernon Dobbs. It’s even notarized. I was just trying to let Aunt Ellen sign to make things easier on the family. And she did sign, actually. But if that signature gets overturned, I’ll still get the right to sell the property.”
His mother turned to him. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have believed Walter. He lied to me. He’s lied before… I feel like such an old fool.”
“Mom, none of this is your fault.”
“What does it matter now, anyway?” Walt actually laughed.
“The truth always matters,” Nora insisted.
“Come on, Mother. We’re leaving.” He took his mother’s arm and led her out of the cabin with Nora following close behind them.
His mother took a long look at the cabin as they walked out. “I don’t want to lose this, Harrison. So much history. So many memories.”
“I’ll do everything that I can to make sure you don’t.” But he had no clue how he was going to do that.
He and his mother followed Nora in his mom’s rental car. When they got to the lodge, Nora came up and held out her hand to his mother. “We didn’t have time to get introduced in all that mess. I’m Nora Cassidy.”
“Nice to meet you, Nora. I guess by now you’ve figured out I’m Ellen Stanworth, Harrison’s mother.”
“I bet you could use a rest after the day you’ve had.”
“I could. I’m just so shocked at all Walter would do to trick a family member and cheat them.”
Harrison hated seeing the hurt in his mother’s eyes. But he wasn’t surprised at what Walt had done. Not one bit. Because he’d done it before, and Harrison had been gullible enough to believe him…
“How about I move you two to a bigger cabin? There’s a nice one with two master bedrooms near the lodge.”
Harrison wasn’t sure he wanted to give up his little cabin on the lake near the magical grove of Aspens, but it would be better for his mother.
“I don’t need anything special,” his mom protested.
“No, the cabin will be perfect for you two. We’ll just get Harrison’s things moved over to it.”
Nora left to go get the new keys for them. His mother sat on one of the pine benches while they waited. He worried about her. She was starting to look tired.
Just then Linda walked past them. His mother stared at her as she walked past, then leaned close to him. “Do you know that woman?”
“Barely. Her name is Linda. Linda Seabridge.”
His mother frowned. “Name doesn’t sound familiar, but there’s something about her…”
A strange feeling skittered through him. His mother had the exact same feeling about Linda as he did. But he just couldn’t believe he’d met her before. And wouldn’t she have said something if they had? Though she had been sneaking around the cabin. Maybe she was somehow tied into the deal that Walt had made.
Nora came up to them and interrupted his thoughts. “Here are the new keys. Why don’t you get your mothe
r settled? I can send someone over to move your things if you want.”
“No, I’ll help Mother and let her take a little rest, then I’ll go get my things.”
Nora’s fingers brushed his as she handed him the keys. He shot her a grateful look. “Thanks.”
She smiled encouragingly at him and nodded as if giving him her silent support.
“Come on, Mom. Let’s get you all settled. You’ll love it here.”
His mother stood and took his arm. “I’m sure I will. The lodge looks charming. Thank you, Nora.”
“You’re welcome.”
He led his mother away toward the door. He glanced back over his shoulder, and Nora was still standing there, watching them. He opened the door, and he and his mother walked outside.
A sudden longing for Nora hit him as soon as the door closed behind him.
Nora dropped by Harrison and Ellen’s cabin after finishing up in the dining hall that evening. She knocked softly, not wanting to disturb Ellen if she was already asleep. She’d had quite an afternoon on top of a day of travel.
Harrison opened the door, and soft light spilled out onto the porch. “Nora.” His eyes held a grateful look.
“I just wanted to check on you and make sure you didn’t need anything.”
“No, we’re good. Mom’s already in bed.” He paused and looked at her. “Would you like to come in for a bit?”
“We could sit out here on the porch so we don’t bother your mother.”
He nodded, stepped outside, and closed the door behind him. She sat on an Adirondack chair while he lounged against the railing.
“So is your mother doing okay?”
“She’s devastated that she let Walt trick her. But I’m fairly certain I can get her signature overturned. But if that document he has holds up… I’m not sure it will do any good.”
She got back up and went to stand by him at the railing. “I’m so sorry for all of this.”