Refusing to argue the point, Jada pushed her out the door. “Go, before you have second thoughts. He probably hasn’t gone to bed yet.” Linnie was about to spout an objection, and Jada added, “Don’t worry about the guests or closing down the Sunshine Room. We’ll deal with it.”
“You’re sure about this?”
In one voice, the women shouted, “Yes!”
Linnie wasn’t sure about trusting their judgment. She sailed out of the Wayfair on a wave of apprehension.
Moonlight washed the empty streets in a cold glow. From the forest an owl’s hoot floated on the breeze. Rounding Sweet Lake Circle, she realized she’d left her cell in the pocket of her work dress. Hopefully the unplanned visit wouldn’t rouse Daniel from sleep.
At the stop sign midway down Orchard Lane, she brought the Honda to a rolling stop. Daniel’s low-slung ranch house, three doors up, was on the right. A quick glance in the rearview mirror confirmed she’d run her fingers through her hair a thousand times. Scrambling for her purse, she dug around for a brush.
She’d angled the mirror close when the crack of a door slamming brought her head up. A man in a yellow suit descended the steps in front of Daniel’s place. She threw the car into park.
Not just any man.
Freddie. The sight snatched her breath away.
And just like that, the trapdoor again popped open beneath her world.
Chapter 5
In a cloud of exhaust, Freddie’s car disappeared.
How much time passed before Linnie’s brain blinked on once more was difficult to assess. Fifteen minutes? Distressing thoughts followed. Her brother, sauntering to his car with smug superiority. Daniel, conspiring with the enemy.
The inn, under fire. Bankruptcy. Ruin.
Lou’s Ice Cream Shop.
The sugar shack lay five miles outside town. Was it too late for a cone with sprinkles?
A horn blared, snapping her jaw shut. A truck swerved around her car.
The pock-faced kid at the wheel hung his head out. “What’s wrong with you, lady? It’s a stop sign, not your garage.”
The kid sped off, trailing gas fumes and the last of Linnie’s pride.
She was done for. Somehow Freddie had maneuvered into Daniel’s life. She hadn’t caught an inkling of their association. Why didn’t her old pal come clean this morning? Was he mixed up in her brother’s mysterious business in Ohio? Freddie had looked downright merry.
Anger knotted Linnie’s heart. Needing answers, she flew past the stop sign and toward the ranch house.
The neatly mown lawn nestled in darkness. The porch light was off. She marched through the shadows with the awkward gait of a mummy, hands outstretched.
She tripped while ascending the steps, jerked upright, and started pounding on the door.
Muttered cursing from inside. Daniel flung the door wide.
She hurtled past and nearly fell over Puddles. She had more than thirty pounds on the pooch and could’ve done serious damage. She stowed her anger to crouch for a sloppy smooch. Gratified, the dog began running the Indy 500 around her legs.
Next she zeroed in on Daniel. Tapping into anger was preferable to acknowledging the hurt bubbling up inside her. From the looks of it, he needed Valium. His sandy-brown hair stuck up from his scalp like a porcupine’s quills. The five o’clock shadow rimming his square chin was dark enough for midnight, which wasn’t a bad thing. Oddly, he wore an apron dusted with flour.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Baking. Chocolate chip.” He swiped at the flour marring his face, adding a thicker dab of white. “Couldn’t sleep.”
“Who bakes on a work night?” The timer dinged, and she stalked to the kitchen with Puddles on her tail. Over her shoulder, she shouted, “Why are you consorting with the enemy? For that matter, why is the enemy in Sweet Lake?”
“Wait a second. You saw Freddie?”
“From a safe distance.”
“Cool down, okay? I didn’t know he’d stop by. I sure as hell didn’t know he was in town.”
“Oh, really? That’s not how it looks from the cheap seats.” She found a potholder, removed the cookie sheet from the oven. The scent of chocolate bloomed in the air. Leave it to Daniel to bake cookies as delectable as Jada’s. The man was nothing if not precise. “Here’s an easy question. Why did my brother leave your house grinning like a Cheshire cat?”
“He self-medicates, fantasizes about women, is planning his next schlock movie—how should I know?”
“Is he back in trouble? Let me guess. In between films, he’s robbing banks?”
“With your brother, anything’s possible.”
“Don’t you dare make light of this. My worst nightmare just strolled back into town, and the first thing he does is pay you a visit. It doesn’t look good, pal.”
“Linnie—”
Puddles dropped onto his haunches. The mutt lifted his snout to howl like a wolf on the prairie.
She arched a brow. “What’s wrong with your fur baby?”
“Cavities.”
“He howls all the time. Might be something more. Get him to a vet.”
“Later.”
Daniel shooed the whimpering beast into the yard. He returned with his grey eyes softening. The cheap ploy filled her belly with warmth.
He started across the room but stopped, her expression warding him off. “Listen, I’m as shocked by Freddie’s appearance as you,” he said. “I was in bed when he dropped by. No call, no advance warning. You have to believe me.”
“Like that’s easy to accomplish.” She pried a cookie from the pan and bit down. “Why was he here?” Singeing her lower lip, she flinched.
Daniel looked at her helplessly. “I can’t say.”
Her appetite fleeing, she tossed down the rest of it. “Can’t or won’t?”
“Both. I’m sorry.”
In all their years of friendship, they’d never argued. Not one serious disagreement, not even a raised voice. They were perilously close now.
“I thought I could trust you,” she said, and her voice broke. The hurt she’d tried to keep at bay washed over her.
His eyes beseeched hers. “You can trust me. Always.”
“You’re working for Freddie?”
“Essentially.”
“Legal work for Bad Seed?”
“I’m not at liberty to say.”
Another swipe at his porcupine hair, and the pain centering in her chest deepened to unbearable. Daniel was the most ethical man she knew. She relied on him completely, although she’d never told him outright. How could Freddie get him to handle legal work?
Therein lay the problem. Freddie breezed through life getting exactly what he wanted. She wasn’t even sure she could trust Jada and Cat around him. When they were all in their twenties, her friends had trailed behind Freddie with mindless adoration. His charisma was blinding, a terrible force.
He’d taken enough. She refused to surrender Daniel.
A remarkable defiance carried her across the room. Daniel had a good six inches on her, but she approached quickly, taking him off guard. Straining to cup her hands around his neck, she steered his head downward. She lifted her lips to his before he might resist. She brought every feminine wile she possessed to bear as she captured his mouth, luring him in with a playful flick of her tongue, arching her breasts against the wall of his chest.
Making the first move was bold in the extreme, but she was too hurt to let her natural reticence get in the way. Taking charge was exhilarating, proof of a power she hadn’t known she possessed. But her elation fled as Daniel’s initial shock retreated and he wrapped his arms around her. With devastating tenderness he returned her ardor, his mouth coasting over hers.
She was no longer in control, no longer making a point about whose side he should take in the war of the Wayfairs. Daniel took possession of the kiss, channeling a decade’s worth of yearning against her lips.
The simple message she’d meant to se
nd went devastatingly awry. A groan erupted from his throat. He lifted her slightly off the floor, making her heart somersault with pleasure. With strength and grace, he maneuvered her back across the room. She went fluid with desire as he pressed her against the counter.
He ground his hips against hers, taking her arms and draping them over his shoulders, opening the generous curves of her body to his slow, thorough caresses. The moment hung suspended out of time. His hands were everywhere, tangling in her shoulder-length hair, flirting with the edges of her breasts, skimming down her back as if he were testing the limits of his self-control. Cupping her bottom, he repositioned her with a hungry moan that spiked passion in her blood. Spinning, she became dimly aware he’d broken off the kiss to nibble on her neck. He murmured her name with a reverence a man less consumed would reserve for prayer.
When she began responding with hungry caresses, he let her go. His skin flushed, he stepped back. Daniel was a man with a respect for limits. She was vaguely aware he’d crossed a self-imposed line.
The air bristled with electricity. Enough voltage pinged between them to light up Las Vegas. Outside, Puddles barked at the moon.
Daniel was the first to land his senses on terra firma. “Why did you kiss me?” he demanded.
A lazy sort of luxury made Linnie’s brain hazy. She shook her head to clear it, latching on to her anger. “Got me,” she snapped. Anger was a better option than considering how she’d altered their friendship without weighing the consequences. “I’ve had a strange day.”
“So you thought you’d cap it off by playing the seductress? Here’s the thing about rules. Change them, and someone might beat you at your game.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re an adult. Figure it out.”
She yanked open the drawer beside his sink, grabbed a baggie. “No, thanks. I have bigger fish to fry.” She dropped three cookies inside. “Should I buy a shotgun and run you and my brother out of town? Seeing as you’ve become fast friends?”
“This is unbelievable. You’re still mad?” Glaring, he got his breathing under control. “After what just happened?”
“You betcha.”
“Hold on. Let’s cool down, talk this through.”
“Not on your life, pal.”
“I’m not your pal.” His mouth curved at a rakish angle. “Not anymore.”
The suggestive comment started her head spinning again. She sagged slightly against the counter.
She was still searching for a suitable retort when he added, “Go home, Linnie.” His gaze took a leisurely stroll from her forehead to her toes, igniting tiny fires. “If you don’t, I’ll have you stripped down to your skin in five seconds flat.”
Shocked by the strength in the challenge, she searched for her voice.
“I’m going,” she replied, swerving past him before she changed her mind.
Chapter 6
Finishing her morning coffee, Linnie walked to the veranda’s railing and breathed in the fragrance of honeysuckle. The sweet scent had always proved calming. After last night at Daniel’s house, she needed the restorative powers more than usual.
This morning the honeysuckle blended with the faint scent of yesterday’s suntan lotion left behind by the vacationers staying at the inn. Some of the early risers were already dining in the Sunshine Room or readying their families for a day at the beach. Her emotions settling, Linnie went back inside and descended the steps to the basement.
The two youngest maids on staff, Daisy Kane and Carol Rhodes, folded sheets before the row of industrial-size dryers.
“Almost finished?” she asked them. “I need help in the ballroom.”
Daisy, a strawberry blonde with an excitable nature, gave a cheerful thumbs-up. “Sure thing. The waiters have the tables back in place?”
The waitstaff had removed twenty round folding tables from storage in preparation for the Mendozas’ anniversary party. “Chairs too,” Linnie supplied. “Everything’s covered with dust. We’ll wash it all down.”
After folding the last sheet, the girls followed her back to the main floor. The pleasant sounds of conversation drifted from the Sunshine Room. June was always a good month, and eighteen rooms were booked. In two weeks, the remaining rooms would have occupants during the weekend of Silvia and Marco’s anniversary bash. They’d invited friends and family from as far away as Cleveland.
With the maids’ help, Linnie carried buckets of soapy water into the ballroom. The walls no longer carried the tang of fresh paint, and the addition of furniture made the cavernous space more inviting. The waitstaff had arranged tables at one end, leaving the portion of the ballroom closer to the dais open for dancing. The two large chandeliers, one at each end, sparkled from the careful attention that Linnie and Jada had given them.
Carol, a quiet, slender girl, surveyed the tables before them. “Where should we start?” she asked Linnie.
“Why don’t you and Daisy begin near the dance floor? I’ll work on the tables here. We’ll meet in the middle.”
“All right.”
Linnie dunked her hands into the warm water, squeezed out the rag. After little sleep, her heart still swam with confusion. Last night she’d started something with Daniel without thinking it through.
She’d ended something too. The unpleasant fact of his association with her brother, an association Daniel refused to clarify, had dissolved a once-easygoing friendship.
For several years now, Linnie had recognized the mutual attraction. Yet she’d taken the companionship for granted. Daniel never pushed, never demanded. His attentions were a comfortable part of her routine, as unchanging as the golden sandstone of the Wayfair. Daniel was just as solid—precise, but also predictable. What she hadn’t understood were the strong, swift currents running beneath the edifice of his life.
Nor did she understand enduring passion with any confidence.
The best years of her youth had been spent learning to manage the Wayfair. She’d traded the pleasures of early adulthood for a family legacy, and long hours learning the basics of accounting with Silvia’s help. In the kitchen, the cook taught her a system to inventory perishables. The maître d’ schooled her in fine wines. There was time for little else. The shallow relationships of her early twenties, before Freddie upended her world, were no more capable of offering instruction on how to proceed with Daniel than cartoons might teach her Japanese.
“Look who’s up with the robins. Need help?” Jada, dressed in jeans, reached for a rag. “I can put off baking for another hour.”
Linnie dismissed her dreary thoughts. “Help’s always welcome. Thanks.”
“Philip’s outside with his crew. Said they’ll try to dig out the monster boxwood by hand. If it’s a no-go, they’ll have to use the backhoe.”
Daniel’s brother had promised to keep the noise to a minimum. “If any guests complain, let’s serve free dessert tonight.”
Jada murmured her assent. Then she asked, “Headache gone?”
Linnie bit her lower lip. Rarely did she lie to anyone, let alone Jada. It was time to come clean.
“I didn’t have a headache last night. I wasn’t ready to go into the details.” She paused a beat. “Freddie’s here, in Sweet Lake. I saw him leaving Daniel’s house.”
Jada dropped the rag into the bucket. “Why do I have the feeling there’s more bad news?”
“Because there is. He’s hired Daniel. For what, is up for grabs. Daniel wouldn’t elaborate.”
“Impossible. He’d never handle legal work for your brother.”
“Believe it.” A stone lodged in Linnie’s heart. “Plus I did something without thinking first. We started arguing, and I kissed Daniel. One of those crazy, stupid impulses. I can’t explain what happened next.”
“Well, try!”
“He sure wasn’t himself. He was . . . into it.” The memory of his large, hard body pressing her against the counter put spots of black in her vision. A sampling of the pleasure h
e’d given once again glided through her limbs. Running from the intoxicating sensation, she added, “He was nothing like the stable man we all know and love. Now I can’t get him out of my head. The worst part? I’m really hurt because he’s a turncoat.”
The news bounced off Jada. Slowly she pulled out a chair and sat. “Thanks to your parents, you aren’t the only one with a stake in the Wayfair,” she said warily. “What if Freddie’s planning to wrest control from you?”
“God, I hope not.”
“Daniel always has your best interests in mind. What if he offered to renegotiate the contract to ensure you get a fair deal? It’s not like he can stop Freddie from making a claim. He can do his best to protect you.”
The stone in Linnie’s heart became a torment. “I don’t care if Daniel thinks he’s on the side of the angels. If he’s helping Freddie, he’s betrayed me.”
“And you kissed him.”
Linnie flopped into a chair. “I was so angry. I didn’t stop to consider how good I’d feel. He totally bowled me over. I didn’t know he had it in him.”
“You’re nuts. He is a man. Hot-blooded and happy to share.”
“All these years, and he’s never made a pass.”
“Linnie, work consumes your whole life. The only social outings you allow are the occasional movie with Cat and me. Daniel’s been waiting forever. He wants you to stop making your family legacy the center of the universe and start living. I mean, face it. You’ve never given him much in the way of a green light.”
“He’s not getting one now,” she snapped, and immediately cringed. That wasn’t the signal she’d given him last night. “Why is he consorting with the enemy?”
Jada’s dark gaze held compassion. “That isn’t what’s really bothering you. You’re miserable because you finally lit the match. What were you expecting? Girl, you’ve been in love with Daniel for years.”
The opportunity to disagree wasn’t forthcoming. Outside the Wayfair, angry voices rang out. Daisy and Carol, finished at the third table, shot to the windows. Someone was getting ready for a brawl.
Linnie and Jada ran into the hallway and through the lobby.
Sweet Lake (Sweet Lake #1) Page 6