His voice was silky and warm like the night. Krissa felt tongue-tied.
“Your Shasta came and introduced himself to me,” Nick said.
Krissa felt a wave of guilt surge. She hadn’t even been paying attention to how far Shasta had wandered off.
“I hope Shasta wasn’t bothering you,” Krissa said with a hint of stiffness. “I should’ve kept him on a leash.”
“Not at all,” Nick said. He pulled at Shasta’s ruff as if they were old friends.
Krissa was getting neck strain twisting around to look at Nick. She pulled her legs out of the lake and stood. She took a few steps up the dock and then hastily turned back to grab her sandals and cup. Her left heel teetered on the edge of the dock and she flailed her arms for balance. She tottered back and grabbed at air…but no luck.
Splash!
Chapter 3
SHASTA barked, ran in a quick circle, and then plunged off the pier into the water to join the good time. Nick waded knee-deep into the water toward Krissa. Shasta jumped and splashed with enthusiasm.
Krissa squealed again as Shasta pushed against her and a chilly wave splattered her afresh.
“You okay?” Nick asked.
“Shasta! Down!” Krissa pointed to the shore and ordered Shasta away. With a few more playful barks, he meekly trotted back to the bank and then gave a triumphant shake. Cold water droplets pelted every direction.
Krissa yelped again and shivered.
“It’s freezing!”
“We are at eight thousand feet and the lakes are a touch nippy and even colder after sunset,” Nick said helpfully.
Krissa didn’t know whether to cry, laugh, or dunk under and drown herself. She was sitting in the mud and the lake was up to her shoulders. Shasta bounded back and licked her repeatedly.
Nick extended his hand and her sense of the ridiculous won. Krissa’s laugh rang out over the lake.
“Maybe I should have waited for daylight before I went swimming,” Krissa said.
She grabbed his hand in the fading twilight and let him haul her up. Krissa flinched as the cool air hit her soaked body, and her foot skidded in the mud. She waved her free arm for balance, and Nick’s grip tightened on her fingers.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Nick said.
He grabbed her around the waist, pulled her up in one fluid movement, and hugged her close before she could tumble backward. Water and mud oozed off of her, but Krissa only felt Nick’s hard muscles and broad chest pressed against her hips, stomach, and breasts. For a moment, she pressed closer and reveled in his manly scent. Each one of her wet curves molded into his body. She tingled everywhere.
“Oh!” she said with a gasp.
He bent his head just as she looked up. His face was inches from hers.
“Hello,” he said, his voice sounding husky. “You all right?”
Krissa almost hummed aloud with pleasure. As if on their own, her hands slithered up his chest. His heart thrummed under her fingertips. Heat slid through her veins. She wasn’t at all chilly now.
Shasta barked and shoved up against them in excitement with soggy fur and muddy paws. Nick laughed a low chuckle and Krissa blushed in the dim light.
What on earth had just happened? Since when had her libido woken up? It had been gone and buried for the last two years. And now look at her. She’d barely met Nick and was falling into his arms like a plump berry primed for the picking. Absolutely not, she sternly told herself and pulled away from Nick.
Still knee-deep in the water, she ran her hands over her arms and swooshed off streams of water and bits of weeds and muck. Ugh.
“Is this how you welcome all your new guests and tenants?” Krissa asked sarcastically. “Pushing them in the lake?”
“Only the really pretty ones,” Nick teased.
“You must be rather busy with your duties.”
Nick laughed again and said, “Come on, take my hand.”
Krissa hesitated, but Nick grasped her by the hand and guided her back to dry land. “All okay?”
“Fantastic,” she jibed back and reclaimed her hand. “Seen my shoes or my cup?”
Her toes squished through fine silt and teeny rocks, and Krissa prayed there was nothing creepy or crawly dancing around her legs.
She tried hard not to stare at Nick with his half-soaked cargo shorts plastered to his thighs. Her pulse quickened. Krissa shook her head and got ahold of herself. Who fell in the lake on a second meeting with a stupidly gorgeous man?
She groaned with humiliation and wished she could make a quick exit back to the guest cottage. It was getting darker by the second. She patted her right pocket and cursed under her breath.
“My flashlight’s a goner.”
Nick pulled one from a still dry shorts pocket and waved it in the air.
“I was a scout too,” he said with a grin. “I think it’s even waterproof.”
“A one-man rescue squad. Lucky me.”
He gave a scout salute and clicked on the bright beam of light.
This guy was too good to believe, and she touched her lips lightly and imagined Nick’s mouth on hers. Hmmpf. Tim had seemed too good to be true too. Krissa turned away from Nick and wrung more water out of her shirt.
“C’mon, let’s get you back to the guesthouse so you can change.”
“I think I have half of the lake sloshing in my shorts,” Krissa complained.
Nick dangled her sandals in the air, and Krissa grabbed them and slid her muddy feet into them.
With her red cup in one hand and the flashlight in the other, Nick pointed out the path with the stream of light and motioned to her to follow. As he steered her around a tree root, Krissa tried to march in silence. A cool, wet dog rubbed up against her leg and a sneaky, but sociable, tongue licked her hand. Despite herself, Krissa smiled. Shasta trotted a little faster and matched his pace to Nick’s. Nick looked down at the Husky.
“Shasta seems like a great dog,” Nick said, “and very friendly.”
“He’s my buddy,” Krissa said with affection. “I don’t go too many places without him.”
“Watch out for that rock,” Nick added helpfully.
“Shasta’s almost six and has been with me through thick and thin,” she said. “And since he’s a husky, he sure makes a great running companion.”
“I haven’t had a dog for a long time,” Nick said. He reached down and rubbed Shasta’s head. “Maybe too long,” he added. Krissa noted a hint of emotion in his voice and wondered if Nick knew he’d said the words out loud.
Nick pointed out another root and Krissa concentrated on stepping over it gracefully. She sure didn’t want another spill and end up sprawled on the ground. They walked in silence.
They stepped up onto her small deck, and a light from the kitchen window dimly illuminated their way. Krissa stopped and turned to say good night to him, but Nick stepped past her and opened the sliding glass door. He gestured for her to go through first.
Irritation flared. Just because he owned the joint didn’t mean he could simply march right in. She clenched her jaw and tried to keep from stamping her foot.
Well, it was his property and he was doing her a favor by letting her stay here. Fine. With a huff, Krissa kicked off her mucky sandals and entered the guest cottage.
Without breaking his stride, Nick flicked on the ceiling fan and overhead light.
“Hey! You’re tracking mud everywhere,” Krissa said and jabbed her thumb in the direction of the patio. “I’ll see if I can find some towels. I think I left that box by the stairs.”
Nick meekly ditched his shoes on the other side of the slider and strolled back into the living area.
“How goes the unpacking?” Nick asked easily.
“Fine. I’ll be done tomorrow.”
Krissa’s lips tightened into a straight line, and she steadied herself against a stack of boxes. She felt off-kilter with this tall hunk of manhood standing so comfortably in the middle of her house. Should she offer him coffee or
toss him out on his ear?
She handed him a towel and turned away to run the towel over her own drip-drying clothing.
With a brief scan of the living area, Krissa cringed at the disarray. What a mess. Nick definitely needed to leave. She glanced at Nick and froze. He was staring at her with a funny half-smile and a smoky, steamy gaze roving over her from top to bottom. All at once, she could feel every inch of her damp clothing clinging to her body. There was very little left to Nick’s imagination.
They studied each other for a moment. Nick’s eyes darkened with a hint of fire and Krissa’s heart hammered. Nick stepped closer.
An urgent beeping erupted into the air, and an irritated expression flickered across Nick’s face. He pulled his phone out of his luckily still dry shirt pocket and glanced at the caller ID. Krissa darted over to the kitchen and took refuge behind the granite top island. She started unwrapping spoons and spatulas as if her life depended on it.
Nick stepped outside and answered his call. Krissa leaned back against the refrigerator and shook the haze out of her head. Her first night in her new abode and she already had a man in the house. What was wrong with her? Why was she reacting to him? Nick had to go.
She heard his voice rise for a moment and then quiet as the person on the other end of the call must have been talking. Krissa was jittery. She was going to have to figure how to get him to leave. Who was he to just prance in and run his eyes over her like he was ready to devour her? Her unease fled and her temper fired up.
Nick poked his head through the doorway. “It must be one of those days, but there’s two more crises waiting for me to untangle. Last night’s storm did more damage than we thought, and I have a new manager who’s not very sure of himself yet.”
He was leaving. She should have felt relief, but perversely she was disappointed. She schooled her features into a calm blandness.
“Well, good luck,” Krissa said. “And…umm, thank you. You know…for all your help today. Getting me a place to stay and pulling me out of the drink.” Craptastic. That sounded pathetic, she thought. Well, at least he was leaving.
“Anytime,” he said softly. Nick’s dark blue eyes roamed over each of her curves that were revealed by the clinging tank top and her still dripping shorts. Krissa felt a slow blush creep over her cheeks, and she prayed he didn’t notice. She stood a little taller and held her breath, but her breasts stood out as if called to attention. Krissa contemplated diving for cover behind a stack of boxes.
Nick’s phone jangled again and he gave a quick wave as he slipped off into the dark. His truck rumbled to life and she could just make out the headlights bouncing down the driveway.
With a weary step, Krissa marched up the stairs to her bathroom as she stripped off her shorts, tank top, bra, and panties. She jammed on the shower water and waited for it to get warm. She was nuts, and nothing was going to happen with Mr. Nick Olin. He was too much.
Her mind drifted back over the touch of Nick’s body and the lightning sparks that had flamed across each curve and bend of her body where he’d touched. Krissa shook her head of the steamy haze.
What was she thinking? Well, clearly she’d finally run into someone who woke up her sleeping sex drive. Whatever. It still didn’t change anything. She was a woman of sense and now her students were her life’s focus and that was all she wanted or needed. End of story. She had a busy summer in front of her.
Her summer school class was starting in three days, and she had a house to put in order and a new curriculum to polish. She focused her mind on creating a list of things that still needed to be done to put her home back together as she stepped into the warm stream of the shower.
She flicked her fingers one at a time as she began mentally ticking off items on her checklist. She felt quite sure she was no longer thinking about a tall, handsome boss man.
Chapter 4
WITH a grimace, Krissa pushed away the steaming bowl. It was the third meal in a row of ramen noodles—last night’s dinner, breakfast and now lunch—and she was so over them. She needed groceries. Her eyes swept around the living area of the cabin.
Her cozy new home was in reasonably good order and there were only a few stray boxes stacked in the corner of the garage that held some cold weather gear and apparel. She made a note to buy some storage racks the next time she went to the big hardware store three towns away.
She peeked out a window and didn’t see any sign of Nick. She smiled in relief that she didn’t have to try to dodge him. She wondered where he must have gotten to because he hadn’t even been home when she and Shasta had gone for a quick run along the lakeshore path a little after daybreak.
Although Krissa wouldn’t admit it to herself, she kept expecting to see Nick pop up, but there was no sign of her handsome landlord. Not that it mattered where he was, she told herself. After all, she was merely trying to avoid him.
She grabbed her purse and shopping list while Shasta paced expectantly by the door. She ran her fingers through his white ruff.
“You stay home and guard the fort, Shasta. Momma has to go to the store. Besides, you need a nap after all of the new sights and smells you uncovered this morning. Go lie down on your bed! Be a good boy!”
After a short cruise into the hamlet of Wescott Springs, she was standing in the cereal aisle of the local grocery store and shaking her head over the inflated price of this small box of breakfast happiness compared to the low prices at the giant superstore in Phoenix. She wondered if prices would be any better in Vail itself. This was a definite drawback of living in a resort town.
“Well, hello there, Krissa,” said a honey-toned female voice.
Krissa jumped in surprise. Who would know her here in Wescott?
A lithe, graceful woman surveyed Krissa with a slight twist of her lips. She was willowy and elegant with highly arched eyebrows and long, silky black hair. It was Angie Jarrett, the principal of Wescott Elementary and her new boss.
“How lovely to see you again,” Krissa began and then gestured toward her bulging cart. “As you can see, I’m stocking up my new little home.”
They chit-chatted politely for a few minutes as Angie asked her questions about where she was living and how well she liked the town. Krissa told her a short version of her misadventure with the tree-squished house and that she was now in the resort owner’s guest cottage.
Angie blinked her luminous green eyes twice. “You’re staying with Nick Olin?” she finally said in a sweet voice. “I had no idea he was back in town. He’s such a great guy. How nice of him to take pity on you.”
Krissa agreed with a small shrug but wondered what was with the principal’s strange tone of voice.
“Will you be coming tomorrow?” Angie asked after a short pause. “I know it is the end of the year cleanup for most of us, but I thought it would be good for all the other teachers to meet you. Oh, yes, and you need to get ready for your summer school session, don’t you?”
Krissa wondered why she suddenly felt like she had just earned a whole summer of after-school detentions. She planted an agreeable smile on her face.
“I can’t wait to meet everybody,” Krissa said. “The faculty meeting starts at nine?”
“Nine on the nose,” the principal said. “I’m a stickler for punctuality, so be there on time.” She smiled and tilted like a queen dispensing royal favors.
Was she supposed to bob a curtsy now? Krissa wondered.
“May I bring some treats for everyone?” Krissa asked, making sure her voice was at its most charming and friendly.
But Angie wasn’t listening and seemed to be focused on something at the front of the store. A calculating look skipped over Angie’s features and Krissa uneasily busied herself with her grocery list. A moment later, she turned back to Krissa.
“I’m so glad you asked,” the principal said. “It’s a potluck breakfast. Why don’t you bring a fruit dish? That shouldn’t challenge you.”
Krissa blinked and wondered if her new boss wa
s simply referring to her newly moved-in status or if she was suggesting that she was too incompetent to cook anything. Perhaps Angie imagined that her kitchen was still a jumble of boxes and packing paper.
After a few more doubtful pleasantries, Angie said her farewells and made a beeline to the dairy section at the back of the store.
That was weird, Krissa thought. Had she missed something? What was with the principal’s sudden mood switch and sarcastic comments?
Krissa mentally reviewed the conversation and hoped that she hadn’t said anything offensive to her new principal. With worry tugging at her, Krissa finished picking her last few items on her list.
As she strolled out of the checkout line, she scowled over the total cost of her groceries and vowed to find a cheaper alternative. With her brain fretting about cost, Krissa didn’t notice a cart pull even with hers until she almost collided with it as she made the turn toward the sliding double door exit. The cart only had four small bags and a twelve-pack of some microbrew ale.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said politely. Her eyes moved up.
“I’ve been trying to get your attention for the last fifteen feet.”
It was Nick Olin. All six feet something and laughing blue eyes.
“Is shopping that engrossing?” Nick asked with a very innocent look.
Krissa waved her receipt in the air.
“No, I was busy with sticker shock,” she complained. “I think everything is almost twice as expensive as in Phoenix.”
“That’s one drawback to this part of Colorado,” Nick said with sympathy.
“Other than that,” Krissa said quickly, “I’m really loving it here. The towering trees and the peaceful lake are wonderful. It even smells good! I thought I loved the desert, but all of the greenery and mountains just seem to soothe my soul.”
Krissa stopped and hoped she didn’t sound like a complete idiot with her jabbering. Was she nervous? She looked up at Nick to gauge his reaction and saw that his eyes were almost twinkling.
“The mountains are home and haven,” Nick said. “As much as I travel, I guess where you grew up still has a lot of pull.”
Last Resort Love Page 3