Love by Design (Crystal Falls Book 1)

by Lee, Lynette

  Rachel was the town’s only veterinarian. When the sisters had moved to Crystal Falls she’d taken over the only practice from an aging vet, Mr. Samson. Being the only vet for miles around kept Rachel very busy. Between the neighboring ranches with farm animals and the influx of high-end and exotic pets with the rich ski crowd every winter, business was always booming.

  “Things are good,” Rachel replied. “I had to go out to Mr. Allen’s ranch this morning to deliver a foal.” Rachel laughed when Lily made a disgusted face and sucked down more of her blue cocktail. “What I really need is another assistant. I’m not sure I can make it through another ski season with only Matt and Tonya. They’re both great but, hell, I just need more help.”

  Lily nodded. “You should put an ad in the paper or something.”

  “I would if I could find the time.” Rachel said, sipping the last of her glow-in-the-dark drink, and then turning the subject back to Lily. “So you have to go back tomorrow?”

  “Looks like it. Let’s just hope this Lydia person actually shows up. I don’t know why the client couldn’t have just told me what she wanted while I was there today. She seemed a lot more interested in telling Noah what she wanted, if you know what I mean.”

  Rachel rolled her eyes. “Is she hot? You think he’d, you know…”

  “She’s older, but she looks good. Blonde hair, designer clothes, probably has an on-call trainer. You know the type.” Lily finished her second glass of wine and debated whether a third might be called for, given the circumstances. “I wouldn’t put it past him. You know how he is.”

  “So what are you going to do? You aren’t going to quit are you?”

  “Hell no!” Lily said, a little too loud. She lowered her voice as Angie came back over, a beer in her hand, off from her shift now.

  “What are we all excited about over here?” she asked and sat with a heavy sigh in an empty chair. Taking a sip of the beer, she closed her eyes, rolling her shoulders.

  “Rachel was asking me if I was thinking about quitting the job.”

  Angie’s eyes popped open. “Oh, you can’t do that.”

  “I know. I’m not going to let him win. Not this time. This is way too important to me. Mrs. Uptight is a pain in the ass, but the cabin is gorgeous. I’m actually looking forward to getting to work. And you know I need the money. No, I’m just going to have to suck it up and try to stay as far away from him as possible until this horrible experience is over.”

  The next day, Noah stopped by the local coffee shop to pick up his habitual morning latte before heading up the mountain. Even though he’d spent more than two hours at the cabin the day before, he hadn’t gotten nearly enough information to draw up the plans he would need to get started on the renovation. In all the chaos of keeping Christina’s advances at bay and seeing Lily again, he was surprised he had anything to work with at all. He knew Lily would be there again today but he hoped to be in and out before she arrived. What he had to do shouldn’t take long. And the less he saw of Lily, the better. Just their few minutes of contact yesterday had left him frazzled all day. He wouldn’t admit that he missed her, but he knew there would always be something inside him that clung to her, that wanted her. They’d been too close for too long for him not to have those bits of feelings left over.

  The sky was gray as he started up the winding road to the cabin, big clouds threatening a storm. He wanted to walk the property and check out the cabin’s foundation but the rain would probably make that impossible.

  Noah sipped his latte and let his mind wander as he drove, thinking back to the day before, to finally seeing Lily again. He couldn’t get the sight, or the smell, of her out of his head. He remembered how it felt to hug her close, how she folded herself into him when he kissed her, how good it had felt making long slow love to her on mornings just like this, with a storm on the horizon and warm sheets to lay between.

  If only it hadn’t ended the way it had.

  She’d broken his heart, and done it in front of a crowd. As baffled as he’d been by her wild accusation that had fueled their breakup, at the time he’d been more angry about the embarrassment of it, and hadn’t denied anything she’d said. Instead they’d fought loud and hard in front of friends and strangers alike, both saying things best left unsaid. He regretted the way it had all happened now, but he knew if he had to do it over again, he’d probably react in the same way. For better or worse, when it came to Lily, he couldn’t control himself. Sometimes the lack of control had turned into wild passion, but more often than not it had been the start of heated arguments between the two of them, arguments that he hardly missed.

  He angled into the cabin’s long driveway just as he finished his latte. The clouds had held so far and he jumped out of the truck and grabbed his notebook to start inspecting the outside of the house. Pine needles crunched beneath his feet as he walked around the cabin, cocooning him in the smell of the mountain. He breathed in deeply, still in love with the area even after living in Crystal Falls for almost four years. He couldn’t imagine going back to the life he’d had before, the bustle and concrete of life in San Francisco, where he’d grown up.

  Noah walked around the house making a few notes as he checked the foundation. The cabin was old, but he was glad to find it well-built. With any luck the remodel would be smooth and easy. When he made it all the way around the house without the rain starting, he turned and strolled through the grassy yard.

  A path wound down through the side of the mountain and he could see that it led to another grassy area, this one smaller and circular with a tiered concrete fountain right in the center. He checked his watch and strolled down the path, crunching rocks beneath his feet. Birds chirped and he stretched out his arms, loving the feel of being alone in the forest. The clearing was bigger than he’d realized before, lined on three sides by irises in every color. Just as he stooped to get a closer look at the old fountain he felt the first raindrop hit the back of his neck.

  Before he could make a move the clouds broke open and rain washed over him.

  “Shit!” he cried and started quickly back up the path. He could feel the cold drops soaking through his button-down shirt and hunched over more, trying to block his notebook from the rain.

  Lily’s Mini Cooper pulled into the drive just as he was running for the house.

  “What are you doing?” she asked as she got out of her car, safe beneath a mauve umbrella. She looked stunning standing there in the rain and he couldn’t help but slow down to take her in. Her long hair was curly today, swooped up gently from her face. She wore a gray trench coat, beneath which he could see her sexy bare legs. He wondered if it was a dress or skirt beneath the coat and imagined himself slipping it slowly off her shoulders, kissing her neck like he’d done so many times before. He shook his head both to get rid of some of the water clinging to his hair and to clear the thoughts of Lily from his head. The last thing he needed was to start thinking about her like that again.

  “I was just checking out the foundation and it started to rain.” He made it beneath the front door overhang and turned to wait for her.

  She stood where she was, slowly running her eyes over the wet shirt sticking to his muscles, the jeans clinging to his legs. He felt heat rise throughout his body, knowing that she was checking him out. He wanted her to get a good look at him. Maybe she would remember what she was missing, regret how horrible she’d been to him.

  Her eyes met his for a moment and her stare made his breath quicken. But just as swiftly as something passed between them, it was gone. She turned to lock her car and he moved into the house, tired of waiting for her.

  “I didn’t think you’d be here,” she said as she followed him in.

  “I wanted to get some measurements that I missed yesterday.”

  He raked a hand through his soaking hair, trying to straighten it, and Lily put her bag and umbrella by the door. He rolled up his sleeves, feeling the wet fabric already chilling his skin and watched as Lily peele
d back the coat she wore, revealing a dark blue shirt dress, the hem just short enough for him to get a peek at her thighs. His thoughts flashed to her beneath him, those creamy legs wrapped around his back, and he quickly turned away.

  Obviously working with Lily was going to be a problem for him. He just wondered if he could control his desires. He’d never once quit a job before completion, but this cabin remodel was starting to look like it might be the first. Dredging up these old feelings and desires again just didn’t seem worth it.

  Lily stole a glance when he looked the other way. He was wearing a white shirt that clung to his back and she could make out every muscle. Despite herself, she felt a warmth spread over her, starting from her core. Think angry thoughts, she told herself. Think angry thoughts.

  They both turned when they heard the front door swing open. A short woman came in holding so many boxes in front of her that they couldn’t see her face.

  “Hello?” she cried out to the room, not seeing them at first. She shifted and dropped the boxes in the doorway, shaking rain off her cashmere blazer. “Brr. Oh hi there,” she said when she saw Lily and moved to her with an outstretched hand. “You must be Lily.”

  “That’s me. Lydia?”

  “In the flesh, darling.”

  She gave Lily a warm smile, so unlike the bland greeting she’d gotten the day before from her employer. Lily liked her already. And loved her timing. She was afraid that Noah would have started talking to her if they’d been alone another minute.

  Lydia had short cropped black hair and bangs that accentuated the cat-eye glasses she wore. Her eyes danced with a friendly excitement that put Lily at ease immediately.

  “Hi, I’m Noah. I’m the head architect,” Noah said and held out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Lydia. And the pleasure is all mine. I’ve heard so much about you.”

  “I bet you have,” Noah replied, a frown turning down the corner of his mouth. “I’ll let you two get to it then. I’ve got some more measurements I need still. And who knows, maybe I’ll get lucky and find a towel.”

  Lydia nodded to him and she and Lily both watched as Noah sauntered down the hall toward the back bedrooms.

  Lily finally turned and gave Lydia a tentative smile. “So you’re the one in charge of all the design decisions.”

  “That’s what I’ve been told. And OMG, could this place use a little sprucing up, am I right?” She ran a finger over the sagging leather couch left in the living room by the previous owner.

  “I think so,” Lily nodded and walked to the line of windows looking out at the storm that was now drenching the hillside.

  “I know we’re going for shabby chic and all that, but wow. I don’t think I’ve seen a lamp that ugly in twenty years.”

  Lily laughed and nodded. “Obviously the last owner was in a hurry to get out of here. We’ll have to have a cleaning crew come in and take this stuff away.”

  Lydia nodded and began opening her boxes. “So are you planning to spill the beans? What’s up with you and the hunk?”

  Lily turned back. “Hunk?”

  “You know, the sexy boy-toy in the wet clothes who just left the room?”

  “Oh, him.” Lily frowned and gave her a shrug. “Nothing’s up.”

  “Could have fooled me. The two of you had some fire going on when I walked in.”

  “It’s nothing. He’s just the architect.”

  Lydia stopped what she was doing and gave Lily a look so intense that Lily had to turn away. “And I take it we don’t like the architect?” she whispered conspiratorially.

  “We don’t like him.”

  “Well isn’t that a shame.” Lydia raised her eyebrows, hoping for some juicy gossip but Lily shook her head.

  “That is a very long story, best for another day.”

  “Understood.” Lydia nodded and moved to the stack of boxes she’d brought in. “So I brought a few things to get us started. Christina didn’t have much of an opinion when it comes to the design here. She was much more interested in the remodel.” Her head shot up and she gazed down the hall. “And now I know why.”

  She rummaged through the first box, pulling out a ring of fabric swatches that immediately caught Lily’s eye. She grabbed it from her and began looking through the samples.

  “I decided to bring a few things that match the style in her other places-”

  “Other places? Just how many places does Mrs. Upton have?”

  “Ha ha. Nobody knows for sure, darling. I’ve been to, let’s see, three, now four.” She continued to pile magazines and knick-knacks on the floor around her. “Polite people probably shouldn’t ask about these things, you know.” She continued to rummage through a box but shot her a sly look. “But who are we kidding? Ask away, darling. Christina can go suck an egg for all I care.”

  She blushed as Lydia continued. “And a few things I picked up here and there, knowing her as well as I do, that I thought she might like. The plan is that I spend a couple of days with you, working out the major design elements. Then, sadly, I must leave and you can take over from there. You can send me weekly reports, pictures whenever you want, et cetera, et cetera. And at the end of this whole big shebang I’ll come back, give my final approval, and we will be done with this delightful project. What do you say?”

  She smiled at the array of pictures, samples, vases and throw pillows that sat at Lydia’s feet. “Sounds good to me.”

  Noah came back down the hall, drier and more put together after finding a towel and fixing his hair.

  “I know you two have a lot of work to do today, so I’ll try to stay out of the way. Just so you know, I’m planning on starting the remodel next Tuesday so expect some noise. And dust.”

  Lily frowned. As if having to see Noah again wasn’t bad enough, now she had to worry about working around him.

  “I’ll try to go room by room instead of having my guys work on everything at once. That should give you a little more space. Is there a particular room you want me to finish first?”

  Lydia and Lily looked at one another. “The master?” they said in unison and both laughed. She thought she and Lydia were going to get along just fine.

  “Sounds good,” Noah replied. “I’ll let you get to it then.” Neither of them looked up from their stacks of samples and he turned back down the hall with a shrug.

  “He looks so familiar,” Lydia whispered to Lily when Noah had left the room. “I could swear I’ve seen him before.” Lily watched her puzzled look and startled when she jumped up quickly from the floor. She pulled open another box and began tearing through the contents.

  “Nope, not that one,” she said, flinging aside the now empty box and opening a third. “Ah, here.”

  She pulled a magazine out and scanned the cover a minute. “Yep, thought so,” she said, handing it to Lily.

  And who was on the cover but Noah, looking sexier than she’d ever seen him. He wore a black suit jacket, a crisp white button down that was open halfway down his chest, revealing just a hint of the muscled chest beneath and a loosened tie. He also wore the new wire-rimmed glasses she’d seen for the first time the day before. She let her breath out audibly.

  “I know, right?” Lydia said. “Christina told me he was sexy, but I’m surprised she didn’t mention he was cover-of-magazine material. Or maybe she did and I just blocked her out. Definitely a possibility.”

  For some reason Lydia’s comment plunged her into the past and suddenly the sight of Noah on the cover had her imagining him as she’d done many times before, locked in the bathroom with some strange woman during spring break. She’d never actually seen the two of them together. She’d heard about it in the worst way possible, from two girls gossiping through a bathroom stall door. They hadn’t realized she’d been in the bathroom with them and they’d quieted as soon as she’d emerged. But her mind did a fantastic job with all the dirty and painful details and it hadn’t taken anything more for her to end the relationship that she’d th
ought might last forever.

  Lydia must have seen the change in her face because she slowly took the magazine out of Lily’s hands and gave her a pat on the shoulder. The movement brought her back to reality. She shook her head. “So, should we get started then? Maybe go check out the master?”

  Lydia nodded and held out a hand to help her up.

  The rain finally let up midmorning, making way for a crisp blue sky. Noah stood at the window, his arms folded over his chest, and watched the flood of water pour down the side of the mountain. He’d done everything he could think of at the cabin and he knew it was time for him to head back to his office. But for some reason he was having trouble leaving. Every now and then he heard a peal of Lily’s laughter coming from the living room and it made his heart thud in his chest.

  He was conflicted, part of him wanting to hear more, to find a reason to be nearer to her, and part of him knowing the best thing for him was to get as far away from her as he could, and as fast as possible.

  He stood still though, looking out the window. His thoughts wandered back to the new house that sat just a couple of miles down the mountain from the cabin they were working on, the house he’d designed and built for Lily and himself, the house he’d just closed on the week before.

  It was meant to be a surprise to her and he’d never gotten around to telling Lily about it before she so painfully cut him loose. He’d kicked himself many times over the last months for that ill-conceived idea, as he watched his dream home rising from a foundation cut into the mountain and wondered what to do with the thing now that he had no girlfriend to share it with.

  Selling it would have been an easy option, and he knew several people who’d be interested. He already owned a luxurious condo in the heart of Crystal Falls. But in the end it proved too hard to say goodbye to his baby, the house he’d poured so much thought and love and work into.

  And so he’d put the condo on the market and started slowly moving his things into the new house only a few days before.