Well, except for Michelle Ashford and Jeff Barton, who were a couple, and were talking about marriage and would be attending Wisconsin together. Michelle was Ashley’s best friend, and Ashley was already worried about how she was going to go on without her.
Ashley’s boyfriend Jason would be entering the Air Force later in the year, after turning eighteen.
She grimaced, hating to correct herself. He was her former boyfriend, but she was definitely ready to rectify that tonight, Ashley thought, standing up and getting ready to approach Jason.
“Give it a rest,” Brian growled, yanking her back to the passenger seat and shoving her into it. “He meant it when he broke it off, even before Kat Conlan came into his life.”
“What business is it of yours?” Ashley demanded. “Jason and I were dating over a year. We can’t just throw that away.”
“I’ve got news for you, babe,” Brian muttered. “It’s way too late for that.”
Ashley frowned, pouting.
Brian asked unexpectedly, “Have you always gotten everything you wanted? You’re going to have trouble getting through life with that privileged attitude of yours.”
“Like I said before, what business is it of yours?” But occasionally, even to herself, Ashley had to admit she’d been spoiled rotten by her parents.
She continued, “You’re not a half bad looking guy. Why don’t you get a girlfriend of your own and stop butting into my business?”
He was looking at her strangely. “Not half bad looking, huh? I guess I’ll take that compliment for what it’s worth.”
Ashley rolled her eyes.
“And to answer your question, there is someone,” he murmured, giving her a side glance. “But right now, she’s not available.”
Ashley blinked, looking at him in confusion. Why did it bother her so much that he was interested in someone? All Brian had ever done since they were kids was pick on her and screw up her plans.
He always seemed to see right through her, and he’d been driving her nuts her entire life. She’d had a few other boyfriends before Jason, and it was funny how Brian had always gotten into the middle of those relationships too.
She looked at him discreetly as he effortlessly steered the boat. His family had a lot of toys, and Brian always provided the transportation. Whether it was snowmobiles in the winter or the cruiser for skiing in the summer, the five of them had been inseparable during the past two years.
For the first time, she took a good look at Brian. It was weird how she’d never been willing to admit how great looking he was with his chiseled features in a classically handsome face. Wavy brown hair, clipped short, was bleached from the sun since he spent a lot of time outdoors.
He was still wearing his swimming trunks from when they’d been skiing earlier, and she swallowed, her eyes traveling lower over his broad bare chest, dusted with hair.
She’d never really noticed how ripped he was.
Ashley had never liked the way he made her feel, but she was starting to understand it now. The relationships she’d pursued in the past had all been for fun.
Brian was in a class of his own.
Serious.
His eyes were deep, dark and intense when he looked into hers, as he was suddenly doing right now.
And then she finally realized what was going on.
How could she not have noticed the fact that Brian was interested in her?
Chapter One
Shit. She knew.
Well, he’d better get to work disabusing her of the fact right now. Next week, she’d be gone, and he’d be able to get his mind on other things, like being a ranger. Since Dad hadn’t been taking him seriously, and still believed he’d be going to college, he needed to get his plans for the future straightened out soon.
Jason was kind of lucky there, since his father was career Air Force and apparently his grandfather had been as well. He’d even had the choice to refuse, Jason had mentioned, when Brian had filled him in on his dilemma. Brian would be old enough to enlist if he wanted, but he didn’t feel comfortable doing it without his parents’ approval.
Brian asked abruptly, “Do you have the keys for the house if we stop by and take a look?”
“I remembered to grab them,” Ashley answered. “I don’t think Dad will notice they’re gone. He’s not going to be putting it up for sale until after the place has been fixed up.”
“I’d say it’s going to need more than a little fixing up,” Brian said dryly.
“Why are you so interested in that place?”
He glanced at her briefly. No one had the right to look so hot, and still dressed in the skimpy bikini that she’d most likely worn for Jason’s benefit, he was having a hard time focusing on anything else. In fact, he’d been feeling like that the entire day, more than likely because he was coming to the realization that he might not ever be seeing her again.
What in the hell was it about her that made him want her so much? There was something inside her, a vulnerability that sometimes showed through, and he knew deep down that there was an intelligence inside that she never showed on the outside. After watching her from afar for so many years, Brian knew Ashley wasn’t the spoiled rotten brat that she liked to pretend to be.
It’s funny how she’d never pushed him away, even when he’d obviously been jealous. It’s like she’d never really accepted the fact that he’d been crazy about her ever since he could remember and had compartmentalized the information somewhere in the back of her mind.
But tonight, right now, for some reason it was different. Maybe because she was considering the fact that he wouldn’t be around anymore to keep an eye out for her in the future?
Suddenly, Brian felt depressed. It was one thing to be in love with her so long and still have her in his life, but it was totally different to consider what his life would be like without her.
“Brian?” she was looking at him in obvious confusion.
He held her gaze, and then shook his head numbly. Stop it, you idiot.
With deep blue eyes, flawless skin and silky ash brown hair; Ashley was a knockout. He especially liked how she looked without her face caked with makeup. She’d worn gobs of it before Jason had met Kat Conlan, the teenager he’d fallen for hard this past summer.
But thinking about everything Ashley kept doing for the benefit of another guy, despite the fact that he and Jason were best friends, Brian was suddenly jealous and went back into his usual defensive mode before answering her question.
“The property was owned by my family back when Crystal Rock was just a small trading town along the Crystal Rock River in the eighteen-hundreds, and my great, great grandfather built the home in the early nineteen-hundreds. I think there could be some artifacts remaining from the ruins of the original house. My dad used to tell me that his grandfather collected items he found when he was living there as a kid and they’re still buried somewhere on the property.”
“Really?”
Brian gave her a side glance and was surprised to see she looked genuinely intrigued.
She sighed. “That’s nice to know so much about your ancestors and have a real place to call home.”
“I forgot your family didn’t move here until you were what—in junior high?” He knew full well she’d arrived in Crystal Rock when they’d both been in sixth grade, because he remembered being blown away the first time he’d seen her. But surprised at how interested she seemed, Brian couldn’t resist the opportunity to carry on a normal conversation with Ashley, something which rarely, if ever, had happened between the two of them in the past.
“We moved around a lot when I was young,” Ashley murmured. “We’ve lived in Crystal Rock longer than we’ve ever stayed anywhere during my entire life.”
“The dock looks a little rough,” Jeff murmured from over his shoulder. “You sure we can walk on it?”
“No problem,” Brian answered. “I stopped and checked it out last week when I was driving around on my bike.”
“I swear, I’m going to get a Harley myself someday,” Jeff murmured.
Michelle grinned. “You—on a bike? I can’t wait to see that.”
Jeff was the conservative of the group, planning on majoring in business administration once he was in college.
Brian grinned. “She doesn’t know about our dirt-biking adventures?”
Jeff grimaced. “I was lucky I didn’t break my leg when I flipped over.”
Looking at Michelle, who was frowning, Ashley rolled her eyes.
Standing, Brian grabbed a couple of industrial flashlights he’d brought along and laid them on the pier before unwinding the rope on the bow and wrapping it around a post, securing the cruiser.
After stepping onto the pier, he did something he didn’t usually do, and reached for Ashley’s hand.
Momentarily looking taken aback, she laid her hand in his and he hoisted her onto the pier.
He caught Jason’s quizzical look and smiled. Brian had thought he was being so good about hiding his feelings for Ashley, but Kat had seen through Brian right away, and she’d obviously filled Jason in during the two weeks she’d been here on vacation from Chicago with her parents.
Brian asked, “Is everyone wearing shoes?”
Jeff reached for some sneakers and slipped them on without socks before half lifting Michelle onto the dock.
A few minutes later they were all making their way up a narrow staircase along the bank.
“The dock and this staircase are both in pretty good shape,” Ashley murmured.
“I thought so too,” Brian answered. “I’ve wondered why the house was allowed to become so run down, while the boathouse and outer buildings are in pretty good shape.”
Ashley pursed her lips. “You’re right. That’s pretty strange.”
The path they followed was overgrown, but Brian had investigated the property pretty thoroughly the other day and led them to the door along the side of the house with the newest lock.
Digging through the bag she wore crosswise over her shoulder, Ashley pulled out a set of keys, handing them over to Brian.
Brian unlocked the door, which opened onto a wide landing for a staircase leading both upstairs and down.
He reached for the switch on the wall, attempting to turn on some lights. “Good thing I brought along the flashlights.”
“I think Dad said the wiring needed to be replaced throughout the house,” Ashley said. “It’s been vacant so long, a lot of it’s been chewed up or rusted out because it’s knob and tube.”
Brian halted before climbing the staircase, looking at her in astonishment.
“What?” she growled. “I’ve picked up a few things from the guys from Callahan Construction. I visit the work sites occasionally when Dad is doing the flipping.”
Brian snorted. “Yeah, I’m sure they’re ready to do anything for you, especially if you’re dressed the way you are now.”
Ashley scowled. “What’s wrong with the way I’m dressed?”
“Puh-leeze,” Brian muttered. “That’s the skimpiest bikini I’ve ever seen. You might as well be wearing nothing at all. At least you finally put on some shorts, with your ass hanging out like it was.”
Laughter sounded out loudly behind them, until Jeff murmured, “Come on Bri, why don’t you save the fashion advice for later? I’m tired of standing here behind you on this creepy staircase. Give me one of those flashlights. Jason and Michelle can go along with me and we’ll check out the basement.”
Sheepish, Brian handed over one of the flashlights to Jeff before grabbing Ashley’s hand and guiding her along the staircase.
“You act like you’ve been in here before,” Ashley murmured.
“When I was a kid,” he answered, switching on the flashlight once they reached the top of the staircase. “My grandfather was a friend of the guy who purchased the house. But the guy eventually died and whoever inherited the property just left it to rot.”
“I wonder why?” Ashley asked, looking impressed as they strolled through the main floor.
“It’s still in pretty good shape,” Brian murmured, studying the floors and woodwork.
“Look at the windows.” Ashley swept an arm upward. “I wonder how they haven’t been cracked?”
“I think they’re boarded up on the outside to protect them,” Brian answered, walking with her into the next room. “In fact, except for not having much furniture, it doesn’t look a whole lot different than it did when I was young.”
“It’s strange how so much of the inside seems to have been taken care of,” Ashley observed.
“It is,” Brian answered, becoming thoughtful. “Maybe whoever owned it just didn’t have the money to fix up the entire property. It’s mainly the exterior that appears to need work.”
“Not the roof,” Ashley murmured. “The shingles looked new.”
Brian halted, looking at her in sudden amusement. “Be careful. Someone might discover you have a brain inside that beautiful head of yours.”
Ashley blinked, unexpectedly looking uncertain.
And suddenly, he was worried about being able to keep his hands off her again.
“Come on,” he said gruffly, resting his hand along her back. “I want you to see what I love about this place.
“Alright.”
Guiding her toward the wide staircase near the front entrance, Brian couldn’t help noticing how soft her skin was. It’s funny, despite all the years he’d known her, he’d never touched her as much as he had today.
Probably because she’d always had a boyfriend.
The thought making him irritable again, he rushed her quickly up the long staircase, pausing briefly on the wide landing and glancing down the hallway.
“One more flight,” he murmured, steering her down the hallway toward another flight of stairs. “How many rooms are there, I wonder?”
“Bedrooms, you mean?” Ashley pursed her lips as they made their way up the staircase to the next floor. “I’ll see if I can dig up a specs sheet from Dad’s office, but I think there are at least six.”
“And then there’s the lower level with the kitchen and dining room, along with the study and living room,” Brian said.
“Plus whatever’s in the basement,” Ashley observed when they reached the next floor.
“Let’s see if I remember,” Brian murmured, leading her down the hallway until they reached the end, where there was a huge latched wooden door.
Reaching out, Brian unlatched it, dragging it open into the hallway.
“Wow,” Ashley muttered, as she and Brian walked inside.
Since there were windows everywhere in the circular shaped room, Brian switched off the flashlight as they made their way through the tower toward the window appearing to have the best view.
“What a great room,” Ashley said as they took in the panoramic view of Crystal Rock Lake. “You can see the Dragonfly Pointe Inn straight across.”
“This room once belonged to my grandfather, I guess,” Brian murmured. “It had to be pretty cold in here during the winter.”
Ashley pointed at the one inner wall. “I see they have a fireplace in here. But yes, I can’t see how they could have heated this very well.”
Suddenly, the sound of a crash echoed through the room.
Brian looked at Ashley with a frown. “What in the hell was that?”
“I don’t know, but it sounded like it came from behind that door,” Ashley said, moving toward a door which Brian had assumed was a closet.
“Hold on. Let me open it,” Brian muttered. “We should be careful, in case it’s a squirrel, racoon or something worse.”
Approaching the door, Brian carefully turned the knob, opening it slowly.
“Meow.”
Brian’s eyes met Ashley’s when he smiled, opening the door wider.
A sleek black cat came strolling from inside the closet, rubbing against Brian’s leg.
“Aw,” Ashley murmured, bending and stroking the cat’s head.
“He’s awfully friendly for a stray,” Brian said.
“That’s because he’s not.” Ashley answered. “There’s a collar around his neck with a name tag attached.”
Brian got down on one knee, reading the star shaped tag on the collar. “Spook.”
“Meeeooooooowww,” Spook answered.
Ashley’s smile went wide. “Aren’t you a pretty kitty?”
“Meow.”
“He sure is talkative,” Brian said dryly.
Ashley scooped the cat into her arms, which the cat obviously loved, because he began purring nonstop.
Smiling widely at Ashley as she coddled the cat, Brian decided to investigate Spook’s closet, stepping inside and switching on the flashlight.
“This closet is huge,” he said, “And it also has a passage leading down a staircase, with a door that just happens to be wide open right now. So that explains the mystery of how the cat got inside.”
Ashley peeked into the closet. “The passageway is probably supposed to be secret. See how there’s no knob on the door?”
Brian closed the door, and opened it back up by putting a finger in the hole which had been cut into the top of the door. “I’m sure Grandpa knew about this.”
But Ashley had walked back into the room with the cat still in her arms and was looking through one of the windows in definite awe.
There was an unguarded expression on her face that Brian had never seen before, and he was suddenly drawn by the look of captivation on her face.
She was the most beautiful girl he’d ever known.
“Put the cat down for a minute, Ashley, will you?” he asked in an unsteady voice.
Turning, she looked at him curiously as he approached, but did as he asked, resting the cat on the windowsill.
When he gathered her smoothly into his arms, she didn’t say a word, and then his mouth was on hers, the coolness of her lips becoming warm as the kiss went on and on. Her hands lifted and clung to his shoulders, and then he felt Ashley’s arms wrap around his neck.
Brian deepened his kiss, and the heat from it melted away the last rational thought still left in his head.
That Incredible Kiss Page 2