by Kyra Jacobs
“I could order some, to keep you busy—”
“No!”
Brent grinned. “That’s what I thought. How about you work for a bit and then come find me? Once I finish this first coat of paint, I’ve got another task I could use your help on.”
“My help? Wait, did big, bad Brent Masterson really just ask the pipsqueak for help?”
He leaned in closer, the delicious scent of his clean yet spicy aftershave washing over her. “Maybe he did. But if you tell anyone, he’d have to kill you.”
“I’d like to see him try.”
A wicked grin stretched across his lips. “Feisty this morning. I like it. Hang on to those emotions, princess. They might come in handy later.”
With that he smacked her on the ass. On the ass! Kayla whirled around to take another swing at him with her gloves, but he’d already jogged out of reach.
“It’s a good thing you’re quicker than you are smart,” she called, her butt still stinging.
“It’s a good thing you’re…well, we’ll see.”
We’ll see? Kayla planted a fist on each hip, ready for the verbal jabs to continue, but Brent just chuckled as he rounded the porch without another look back.
Oh, he was up to something. What it was, she had no idea. But between his kind words and playful demeanor yesterday and today’s all out flirting, the grouch had transformed into Mr. Charming.
And darn it if that smile didn’t make her melt every single time he flashed it her way. Earlier in the week, she would have kept her distance, maybe even hidden from him. Today, his outgoing nature was gearing up to be the perfect distraction to her work anxiety.
Why not have a little fun and run with it?
Brent had never rolled a coat of paint so fast in his life. Mainly because he’d never had a reason to before now. Painting was a hurry-up-and-wait kind of task. And watching paint dry was about as exciting as, well, watching paint dry.
But not today. Today he had other activities lined up. Activities that would take him and Kayla away from the inn and give them some time alone—away from work, away from meddling family members, and away from their pain.
He could hardly stand the wait.
“Hey, Green Thumb!” He called as he walked around back to the tool shed. “You about done over there?”
Kayla looked up from a flower bed that sat between the pool and parking areas and smiled. God, she was beautiful when she did that.
“Five more minutes?”
“Perfect. Gives me time to wash up. You need anything before we head out? A sandwich or something?”
“Head out?” She stood and brushed mulch from her knees. “Where exactly is this project of yours?”
“Projects. The first, though, is down by the pond.”
Her smile faded. “Oh. Um, no, I’m not hungry yet. But I should probably head inside and hit the restroom before we go.”
“Sure. Why don’t you do that, and meet me back out here when you’re ready. That is, if you’re not—”
“If you call me chicken one more time, Brent, so help me—”
Relief washed over him as her wary look turned back to the stubborn one he’d grown to adore. A little more taunting was sure to solidify her decision. “I was going to say too tired to go. But if you’re afraid to enter the woods with me…”
“Of course not.”
Her chin jutted up, and Brent was glad he had his hands full of paint supplies. Otherwise he’d have been tempted to close the distance between them and cup that chin in his hands to hold her still for one long, satisfying kiss.
“Okay, but don’t take too long. I haven’t got all day.” And I want as much time with you as I can get before fate steals you away.
He continued on to the shed and caught the faint sound of her mumbling under her breath—something about him being bossy. Oh, yeah, he’d love to get bossy with her. But not here, not out in the open. No, he’d love to take control in the bedroom, when it was just the two of them. Bring her to her knees with want, need. Though one pout from those perfect pink lips and he’d relinquish control. Gladly.
Brent headed inside a few minutes later, distracted by a fantasy that included Kayla on her knees looking up at him with a naughty grin, when he nearly collided with his grandmother.
“Oh!” Ruby’s hand flew to her chest. “Goodness, Brent, you gave me such a fright.”
“Sorry.” Guilt and embarrassment warmed his cheeks. “You okay?”
“I will be in a moment.”
“Here, why don’t you sit, let your heart rate slow down?”
He put a hand on her shoulder and tried to guide her toward the nearest chair in the dining room, but she waved him off.
“I’m old, but I’m not that old.”
Brent chuckled. “Well, at least I know your sense of humor is still intact.”
“Apparently, so is yours.” A knowing grin stretched slowly across her soft, wrinkled face. “Things are going well today, I see?”
“Yep, got the first coat rolled on the porch.”
“I wasn’t talking about the porch,” she said.
“And I’m not talking about anything but.”
The two stood toe-to-toe, arms crossed and gazes locked. Masterson stubbornness at its finest. Her wise old eyes narrowed.
“You’ve cleaned up.”
“Maybe I’m done painting for a while.”
“Shall I pack a lunch for you two?”
“I—” Damn it, how did she know these things? “That would be great, thank you.”
A smug grin tugged at her lips once more. “I’ll be sure to pack strawberries. Though I don’t have any champagne on hand.”
“Jesus, Ruby. It’s lunch, not a proposal.”
“Language,” she warned. “And maybe not. Yet.”
She walked off, a swagger to her step, leaving a suddenly terrified Brent in her wake.
Not yet? Oh, God. He hadn’t thought that far ahead, hadn’t pictured what the future might hold if he did put his heart on the line. Last time, it’d ended badly. Very badly. This time…
He shook his head. It’s just lunch, remember, dummy? No reason to get caught up in Ruby’s mind games. Kayla was funny and smart, adorably stubborn, and yeah, he was dying to get her naked body beneath him again. But they were a light year away from anything permanent, and it would be best for him to remember that. Especially if he wanted to keep his heart intact when the time came for her to leave.
Chapter Sixteen
Kayla headed inside after finishing with that last flower bed and kicked her dirty shoes off by the inn’s back door—no sense in making anyone do extra cleaning on her behalf. Or maybe she could make a mess and then volunteer to clean it up. Might help keep her away from the pond.
Of all the places he could have picked to ask for help.
With a frown she headed upstairs. He’d probably laugh at her if he knew she couldn’t swim, or that the mere mention of any significant body of water made the hairs on the back of her neck stand upright. She’d just have to play it cool and hope like heck they wouldn’t go anywhere near the water. Maybe there was a picnic table in dire need of repair, or a little shed that needed to be re-shingled.
She’d take heights over water any day.
A quick check of her inbox soon had her forgetting all about the water, though. Six emails awaited, all from different staff members on her team and all very excited. She plunked down in front of her laptop and quickly answered their questions and offered a bit more direction. Unfortunately, what felt like a minute had turned into ten. Brent was sure to be pacing by now.
With a sigh, she closed her machine, hit the bathroom, and headed downstairs. In truth, there wasn’t much more she could do from here now, so the outing with Brent couldn’t have come at a better time. Though with the way he’d been acting of late, she would have to keep her guard up. Who knew what that man was up to?
Kayla slipped her shoes back on and headed out the door. Brent sat in the G
ator’s driver’s seat, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. Not big on patience, this one, she thought with a grin.
“Oh, good. I was beginning to think you’d drowned in there. Nearly called 911.”
“Sorry, had to squeeze in a little work.”
He frowned. “I thought you were off this week.”
“Well, technically.” She took a seat beside him and shrugged. “But I think I found a surefire way to get my boss to overlook Friday’s little incident.”
“If he does, he sure as hell better pay you for your time off, too.”
Brent’s voice was low and menacing as he steered them for the barn. Not exactly the mood she’d hoped he would be in this afternoon. No, what she’d been hoping for was a lot more smiling. Maybe even him getting all hot and sweaty and needing to take his shirt off, giving her another peek at those amazing abs of his.
“Well, if he doesn’t, would you drive down there and beat him up for me?” She threw him a grin—it had been her daydream since the moment she first saw him, after all.
He looked at her in surprise for a moment, then shook his head and chuckled. “Wow. Groundskeeper, hit man—I’m building up one heck of a resume here.”
“Pfft, like you need one. Ruby will never fire you.”
“Not unless she has to.”
“Has to? Why would— Oh. You mean if the inn closed?”
Brent nodded. “Yeah. Ruby thinks we’ll be fine, but Miles…well, Miles isn’t so sure. Truth is, I think he’s already putting out feelers, trying to see if there’s any interest in buying the place.”
“Oh, I sure hope not. I mean, I’ve never actually seen it open, but it’s so quiet and peaceful right now. Not noisy and crowded like normal hotels.”
“It gets a little noisier with more guests here, but not by much. People come to relax, to get away from work and stress and whatever else is plaguing them.”
He was quiet for a moment, intent on the trail that wound down around the barn and out into the woods beyond. Ruby had taken Kayla down this same path on Monday, but the mood this trip was far more melancholy. She wished there were something she could do to help. There was no doubt Ruby loved this place—it shone in her every gesture and word.
“What we need is a way to draw people back to the Checkerberry, help them rediscover the road less traveled, you know?”
“Do you guys have a website?”
Brent shrugged. “Yes, but it probably hasn’t been updated in a while. In fact, I don’t know that anyone’s even touched it since we hired our chef Maddie, and that’s been a few years.”
“Oh, wow. Yeah, you’re probably missing out big time there. If Maddie’s half as talented as you all say she is, you could be advertising her menus. Draw people here just for the meals, and when they fall in love with the atmosphere, they’ll spread the word.”
He grinned.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing. The website update sounds like a great idea, but I don’t know how much money we have in the budget for that.”
“It might not cost all that much, actually,” she said. “Especially with Central Michigan being right here in Mount Pleasant. You could probably get some college kid to do the changes pretty cheap.”
“Maybe. Though wouldn’t an ad in the paper be better? Miles said you gave him a few pointers on one he’d been toying with.”
“I did. Has he sent it off yet?”
“Lord, I hope not. Did you not take a close enough look at the thing? Bear could have done better.”
Kayla laughed. “It wasn’t that bad.”
Brent threw her a flat look.
“Yeah, all right, it was. But yes, I gave him some pointers that should have helped clean up a lot of it. I haven’t seen a finished product yet, though, so who knows what the final version will look like. And honestly? People don’t read the paper looking for ads like that. They look online. Advertise on a travel site and I bet you’d strike gold.”
“Not with Miles’s chicken scratch we won’t. What we need is a professional’s touch, someone who knows this place well and has an eye for this kind of thing.”
And there it was—the reason he’d been so nice to her the past day. Dang it, she should have known. Kayla curled her hands into fists and looked away, trying to keep her temper under control. Why? Why did everyone she meet feel the need to take advantage of her giving heart?
No more.
“Stop the cart.”
Brent slowed the Gator to a stop at Kayla’s demand.
“What’s wrong? Did we forget something?”
“Nope.” She climbed out of her seat and started back the way they’d come.
“Then where are you going?”
“Back. I’m going back, where I should have stayed all along.”
Shit. This wasn’t how he wanted the day to go. Brent jumped out and jogged after her.
“Kayla wait. Wait.” He snagged her arm, but she refused to meet his gaze.
“I’m done, Brent. Done letting people take advantage of me.”
“What are you talking about?” But he already knew and felt terrible about it. He never should have listened to Miles. Then again, had Miles not planted the crazy idea in his head to ask her for help, he wouldn’t have allowed himself to get close to her yesterday. And she’d needed him, almost as much as he’d needed her.
Her healing had become his own. And he’d be damned if he was going to tuck tail and run so soon.
She tugged free of his grip. “Really? I mean, really? You act all nice to me, let me cry on your freaking shoulder, and then drive me out here and just happen to mention that you could use some cheap help with advertising?”
“I’m not acting nice. There is never butt-swatting involved in acting nice. And that’s not why I brought you out here.”
“Oh, yeah? Why’d you bring me out here then, huh?”
His body moved faster than his brain. Suddenly he had her in his arms, his lips on hers. Kayla’s body went rigid with surprise. She pressed both hands to his chest, but he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss.
The hands on his chest softened…then collected two fistfuls of his shirt. Her sweet lips parted, and then it was her tongue seeking his. He opened to her, allowed her to roam, to explore. Her hand slid to cup the back of his neck and she pulled Brent closer. A shiver of delight rippled through him.
Kayla’s lips tugged into a grin over his. She nipped at his lower lip, then pulled back as though her conscience had finally caught up with her actions. Brent wrapped his arms around her, unwilling to let go just yet. Hell, if she promised to kiss him like that every day he might never release her.
The thought both startled and scared him. He tipped his forehead to hers and waited for his pulse to slow. “I’m sorry for upsetting you.”
“Yeah, well, I might have overreacted a tiny bit. It’s just…I stink at sticking up for myself. But you.” She shook her head. “You bring out a whole other side of me. The feisty side.”
Brent bent to kiss in the hollow beneath her ear. “I kinda like feisty.”
“I can tell.” Her breathy answer had him hard as a rock. “But, um, didn’t you say you were on a tight schedule?”
“Schedule? What schedule?” He traced her ear with his nose. It was her turn to shiver.
“Brent…”
He sighed. She was right, of course. Didn’t make getting back to work suck any less.
“Fine.” He released her and looked toward the Gator, then to Kayla. “You coming, or you heading back?”
“If I go with you, you’ll probably just tick me off again.”
Disappointment flared in his chest. Damn, he’d been sure she enjoyed the kiss as much as he had. He turned to go and gave himself a solid mental kick. This was why he didn’t put himself out there. Always with the disappointment.
“Then again,” she said. “I kinda hope you do.”
He looked back. “What?”
“Well, you know.” She
threw him a deviously flirty look. “I rather enjoy the whole making up part.”
He watched that tight little ass of hers sashay its way back to the Gator. She resumed her seat, then turned to offer him a “come hither” look. Brent took a few deep breaths, to keep from doing just that…and then ravishing her right there in the front seat.
God, she was going to be his undoing. Trouble was, the more time he spent with her, the more open to the idea he became. He was falling for her, hard. But would he be able to pull out of the tailspin that was sure to follow her return to Indiana?
Then again, if she didn’t go back, there wouldn’t be a tailspin, now would there? Brent swallowed hard. His workload had just increased for the day, only this time the new task involved a muscle he didn’t typically let get involved at work.
His heart.
Chapter Seventeen
Once Brent knew he could walk without hurting himself, he closed the distance between them and slid into the driver’s seat. After a moment Kayla looked away from the trail to flash him a smile. It wasn’t quite as devious as the one she’d tossed him a moment before, but hey, at least it was a smile. Now if he could just keep her smiling, maybe she’d start to let him into her heart, too.
“This work down at the pond,” she said once they were moving again. “We don’t actually have to go in the water, do we?”
“I sure as hell hope not. This early in the season, the water’s still ice cold.”
“Oh. Good.”
“Not a big fan of water?”
“I’m fine with water. Perfectly fine. Why would I not be? I mean, who doesn’t love water?”
Oh yeah, she’s afraid all right. “How about I promise to do my best to keep you dry? Will that work?”
“Um, yeah.” The pond came into view, and her gaze grew wary. “So, what was it you needed to do down here, anyway?”
“Well, we’ve had unusually wet springs the past few years, which means the pond has been sitting higher, longer. Since we don’t take the pier out for winter, it got submerged a few times. Sped up the deterioration process. Now we’ve got a couple boards that look like they’re starting to rot. Ruby’s worried about people walking on them and falling through or something.” He parked the Gator a short distance from the pier and climbed out.