“Linc!” His sister threw herself into his arms.
He grabbed her and lifted her off the ground in a big hug. “Hey, baby sister. You look good.”
“You, too.” Then she smiled at Rose. “Hi. I’m Ellie McKnight.”
“Rose Tucker.” She shook the woman’s hand as the two men greeted each other.
“This is her husband, Alex, and this munchkin is their daughter, Leah.”
“Nice to meet you.” Rose smiled at the little girl observing the hectic scene from the safety of her handsome father’s strong arms. “She’s beautiful.”
“Just like her mom,” Alex said proudly.
Ellie took the child and said, “Honey, why don’t you help Linc bring their bags inside.”
“Right.”
“Rose, welcome to our home.”
“Thank you. I appreciate your hospitality, but if it’s too much of an inconvenience I can find something—”
“Absolutely not. It’s been too long since I had a good visit with my brother. We’re happy to have you and I’m glad you agreed to stay with us.”
It would probably be rude to say she hadn’t agreed to anything because he hadn’t shared the trip details with her. So, she kept that to herself. Linc, however, was going to get an earful.
Ellie led her past the living and dining rooms into the huge kitchen–family room combination. There was a river-rock fireplace on one wall with a big flat-screen TV above. Leather sofas and cloth-covered chairs formed a conversation area in front of it and the thick, neutral-colored carpet was littered with pink toys and dolls. When her mom set her down, Leah plopped herself in the middle of it and started playing.
Moments later the men joined them and Alex informed his wife, “Bags are by the stairway. I wasn’t sure where you wanted everyone.”
“Thanks, honey. I think Linc and Rose might want to catch their breath.”
Rose doubted that would happen, at least for her. Since the moment Linc had showed up in her life again she felt as if she’d had the air knocked out of her. Then on the plane he’d confessed that after her he’d never again considered marriage. What did that mean? Had it been awful with her? Resentment pointed her in that direction, but when he’d said it there was a wistful, sad look on his face. And now he’d brought her to stay with his sister. This must be how Dorothy felt when the tornado dropped her in Oz. Rose was definitely not in Texas anymore.
“Can I get you something to drink? Are you hungry?” Ellie asked. “I’ve got some appetizers to put out and we’ll have dinner in a little while.”
“I hope you haven’t gone to any trouble,” Rose protested.
The other woman waved away her concern. “It’s cheese and crackers and Alex is going to grill. Very easy.”
Linc looked at her. “How about a glass of wine?”
“That would be nice. White?”
“Done,” Ellie said. “And Linc will want a beer.”
“I’ll take care of the drinks, sweetie,” her husband offered.
Rose stood beside Linc on the other side of the huge kitchen island and watched the attractive couple work together. A smile here, a touch there. A closeness and intimacy she’d never had the chance to form with Linc. Envy and regret mixed with her lingering anger at what he’d done to them.
When everyone had drinks Ellie held up her wineglass and said, “Let’s drink to me.”
Linc grinned and said, “Now why would we do that?”
“Because I talked you into moving to Blackwater Lake, which makes me pretty awesome. You’re going to thank me for this.”
Alex touched his longneck beer bottle to his wife’s glass. “I thought you were awesome even before your brother bought his condo. And I thank my lucky stars every day that you came into my life.”
Rose wanted to hold on to her envy and dislike of these two, but she was powerless. They were so cute, so friendly. She tapped her glass to theirs. “I think you’re awesome for wanting to put up with your brother as a full-time resident.”
There was a funny look on Linc’s face when he joined the toast. “To my favorite sister.”
“I’m your only sister.”
“I knew there was a reason you had to be my favorite because you’re a pain in the neck.”
“Takes one to know one,” Rose said, meeting his gaze as she took a sip of her wine.
“I like her,” Ellie said enthusiastically to the two men. “Linc told me you’re friends. How did you meet?”
“At work,” Linc said, jumping right in.
It took Rose a couple of beats to realize Ellie was clueless about their relationship, the fact that they were married and Linc had left her. Women had a way of picking up details, especially personal ones, so if his sister was clueless it was a good bet that the rest of his family was, too.
“Did you decorate Linc’s offices in Dallas?” Ellie persisted.
“No,” Linc answered for her again.
Rose didn’t miss the fact that he looked more than a little uncomfortable about the turn this conversation was taking. Apparently when he was handling accommodations he hadn’t factored in the part where his sister would be curious about them. It wasn’t often that someone got what was coming to them so quickly or that the wronged party was around to see. He was getting what he deserved and she was a witness, so karma would have to forgive her for gloating.
She was waiting for more questions, but Leah chose that moment to toddle over and grab her mother’s jeans-clad leg. She started to whine and, when picked up, pointed to the crackers-and-cheese plate on the island.
“Someone’s hungry,” Ellie said, quickly kissing the rosy-cheeked little girl before handing her to her father. “I don’t want her to fill up on snacks. Honey, if you could put her in the high chair and feed her that would help. It would be better if she eats before we do.”
“Gotcha, little bit,” he said, tickling his daughter to make her giggle.
“While you do that, I’ll show Linc and Rose to the guest wing so they can freshen up.”
The three of them grabbed the bags and took them upstairs, following Ellie to the end of the long hall.
“So, it’s a guest wing,” Linc said. “Aren’t you the grand one?”
“No. Just awesome.” Ellie grinned at him, then pointed out the two large bedrooms connected by a bathroom. “Rose, I’m putting you in the one with the window seat that faces the backyard and mountains. Dallas is flat and I thought you might enjoy a different view. Linc, you take the other one.” A piercing wail came from downstairs. “I’d better go help Alex. Hungry and tired is not an attractive combination on my daughter. See you two in a few.”
Alone in the hall Rose met Linc’s gaze. “So, your sister doesn’t know we were married.”
“No.”
“You kept me a secret—”
“No.” He took her arm and tugged her into his bedroom, then shut the door. “Not a secret.”
“When you withhold significant life details from your favorite sister it kind of falls under the heading of secret.”
“That was a complicated time.” He didn’t look happy.
Tough, she thought. “You were ashamed of me.”
“No.” His voice was sharp. “Not you. It was all me. My bad. Then I took a long break from everyone and everything. After that there was no point in saying anything.”
“So now we’re in Blackwater Lake and staying with your sister. Arrangements that you made and didn’t see fit to share with me.”
“Look, I know you’re miffed—”
“That’s way too nice a word for what I’m feeling,” she snapped. “But there’s a silver lining.”
“What’s that?” There was a wary look in his eyes.
“You didn’t think it through about how
to explain me.”
He nodded grimly. “I thought you were enjoying that a little too much.”
“Actions have consequences—even after ten years. Especially if you keep secrets.”
“Look, Rose, I was a jerk.”
“Was?” She folded her arms over her chest.
“I apologized for it and I’m handling the divorce,” he continued, ignoring the dig. “I groveled.”
“Yes, you did.” She would give him that.
“Ellie and I are close. She’s the one who convinced me to come back after I left—”
“And you don’t want your favorite sister to know how big a jackass you are,” she mused.
“I’m not comfortable with the jackass part,” he said, “but essentially you’re right. I’d consider it a big favor if you would keep the details of our relationship just between us.”
Rose was loving this. Confident and unflappable Lincoln Hart was insecure and uneasy. “You know, this is a very unfortunate time for you to find out that what they say about reaping what you sow is true.”
“Could you be a little more specific?” Tension tightened his jaw.
“I don’t trust you,” she reminded him.
“So you’re going to rat me out to my sister?”
Rose shrugged, then walked through the connecting bathroom and closed the door behind her. This was too sweet. She was charging him an arm and a leg for this decorating job, which was pretty great all by itself. But now she had leverage and that was priceless.
Chapter Four
The morning after their arrival at his sister’s, Linc waited a decent length of time for a sign that Rose was finished in the bathroom they shared. He’d been a gentleman; ladies first. But the longer it went on the more certain he was that this was revenge.
He knocked lightly on the door. “Are you going to be finished in there sometime in the next millennium?”
“Come in,” she answered sweetly.
He did and there she was, putting on makeup and wearing nothing but a satiny pink robe that tied at her small waist and outlined her breasts. For several moments staring was his only option because he was pretty sure he’d swallowed his tongue. Her legs were smooth and tanned. He knew that because a lot of leg was showing due to the fact that the robe stopped way above her knees. Her feet were bare and the pink-polished toes did things to his insides that had never been done before.
Without looking away from the mirror Rose said, “One would think you’d never seen me put on makeup before and we both know you have.”
It was true. He had seen her do this ordinary thing that women do, but now this was so much more intense and he wasn’t sure why. Rather than directly address her comment he said, “I didn’t know you were such a bathroom hog.”
“You didn’t stick around long enough to find out anything about me. Lucky you. Maybe you dodged a bullet.”
He settled a shoulder against the doorjamb. “Putting a finer point on the situation, I didn’t dodge you. We’re still married.”
“Only on paper.”
Meaning there was no hanky-panky of the physical kind going on. But looking at her now, leaning forward to brush mascara on her long, thick lashes and watching the way her breasts strained against that pink satin material made him want to scoop her up, carry her to the bed and engage in hanky-panky for a week.
If he didn’t know how soft her skin was, how it smelled and tasted, the temptation might have been easy to ignore. But he did know. He’d never forgotten and more than once since leaving her he’d nearly caved, every time barely stopping himself from begging her to take him back.
The same thing that stopped him then stopped him now. Protecting her from the Hart bastard was the most important thing, along with the overriding conviction that dragging her into his mess was wrong. On top of that, considering she thought he was maybe one life form above pond scum, any move he made on her would likely get his face slapped.
And he wouldn’t lift a hand to stop her.
She glanced at him. “I can finish up in my room if you have to—”
“You’re fine. All your stuff is here.” He looked at the collection of brushes, containers, tubes and bottles. “And it’s quite an impressive amount of stuff.”
“A girl needs every advantage.”
“Not you. Your face is naturally beautiful already.”
She looked at him and there was a frown in her eyes. “I wasn’t fishing for compliments and you don’t have to hand them out. Our divorce is on track. Contracts have been signed guaranteeing my lucrative consultation fee on your condo. There’s no reason for you to butter me up.”
“I wasn’t doing that.” And he hadn’t meant to say it. The words just came out of his mouth because he forgot for a split second all the crap that had happened, that they were no longer newlyweds who were crazy in love. “It was just my honest opinion.”
She faced him and put a hand on her hip, the posture a sign that she was still peeved about something. “That’s not fair.”
“Since my observation was completely sincere I have no clue what the problem is.”
“You didn’t give me anything for a comeback. How can I say don’t be honest or that I don’t trust you? Especially when you’re saying something nice to me?”
“You have no frame of reference to believe this, but I am a nice man.”
“You’re right,” she agreed.
That was a surprise. “You think I’m nice?”
“No. I have no frame of reference to accept your words as fact.” She turned back to the mirror and assessed her appearance before nodding with satisfaction. “The bathroom is all yours. I’ve done the best I can do with my face.”
Her best was pretty damn good.
When he was alone Linc blew out a long breath and knew his shower was going to be colder than usual, courtesy of Miss Rose Tucker. Although technically she was Mrs. Lincoln Hart. They were married and he wanted her possibly even more than he had before whisking her to Las Vegas for a wedding. But she was forbidden fruit and being this close without being able to touch her was his hell to pay.
It didn’t take Linc long to clean up and as he started downstairs he hoped to beat Rose. What with seeing her practically naked, he’d forgotten that she hadn’t promised to keep their marriage a secret from his sister. The less time Rose and Ellie had alone to talk, the better. Then he heard the female voices coming from the kitchen and realized she dressed faster than she did hair and makeup. There was enough going on right now without his baby sister finding out about his screwup.
Ellie had always looked up to him and more than once called him her hero. When his life had turned upside down she’d been his anchor and he’d been extraordinarily grateful that at least one thing hadn’t changed. He wanted to keep it that way.
He walked into the kitchen. “Good morning, ladies.”
“Hey, slowpoke,” Ellie said. “Hope you slept well.”
“Great,” he lied. There’d been no restful slumber with only a bathroom separating his room from Rose’s. “So you two are all chummy this morning. What have you been talking about?”
“This and that.” Rose was standing next to Ellie on the other side of the island with a knife in her hand. There was a pile of sliced mushrooms in front of her. “Girl stuff.”
Best not to push that subject. “Speaking of girls, where is my niece?”
“With her father. Alex took her into town for breakfast.” Ellie poured coffee into a mug and handed it to him.
“Thanks,” he said, then picked up the subject of his brother-in-law. “Doesn’t he have a job to go to? It was my understanding that his construction company had more work than he could handle and that’s why he and I are going to be partners.”
“He’s going into the office a little
late. He does that once or twice a week, if possible. Daddy-daughter bonding. He calls it his Leah time.”
“Aww, that’s so sweet,” Rose said. “He’s really setting a high bar for dads.”
“Every girl should have that.” Ellie nodded emphatically.
Linc knew Rose had been raised by a single mom and recognized the wistfulness in her expression.
His sister must have seen it, too, because she said, “What was your father like, Rose?”
“That’s a good question,” she said. Her tone was indifferent. “My mom told him she was pregnant and he was never seen or heard from again.”
“Jerk. And it’s his loss,” Ellie said.
“You can’t miss what you never had,” Rose commented philosophically.
“In the spirit of full disclosure, I was pregnant before Alex and I got married. Now this is girl talk,” Ellie warned him. “We hadn’t known each other very long but things got complicated pretty quickly. I was so in love and didn’t think he cared. When Linc called to check up on me, which he always does, I told him everything and he was here the next day.”
“Wow.” Rose gave him a “who would have thought that of you?” look. “A sensitive side.”
“Not when he punched Alex.” His sister slid him a rueful look. “He was sure I’d been taken advantage of.”
Rose shot him a skeptical look. “A regular Rocky.”
“You had to be there,” he said.
“It was actually very sweet once all the testosterone returned to normal levels. In the end everything worked out and Alex and I couldn’t be happier.” She smiled at Linc. “And now you’re going to be living here in Blackwater Lake. I’m going to love having you around. So, you’d better be okay with Alex making time in his schedule for his daughter if you’re going to partner up with him.”
“Of course I am. Why would you even think I wouldn’t be?” Linc asked.
“Good question. You and Rose are friends so she probably has a better answer than me. Or at least a theory.”
Linc looked at the woman in jeans and pink sweater, unable to shake the image of her bare feet and polished toes. When had pink become such an erotic color? She met his gaze and there was a gleam in her eyes that made him nervous.
Just a Little Bit Married Page 5