by Mona Ingram
They had been in love when they were married...hadn’t they? They’d met at a training seminar when they were both in the process of getting their real estate licenses. They made a striking couple; everyone said so. It had seemed only natural when they started dating, and none of their friends or business acquaintances had been surprised when they announced their engagement.
He’d wanted kids but he hadn’t pushed very hard. Cassandra had been intent on chasing the brass ring and they were young...children could wait.
He shook the second sleeping bag a little more vehemently than necessary; dust and grit flew into his eyes. Served him right. He’d been just as guilty as Cassie when it came to fighting his way to the top. He should have slowed down, insisted that they at least try for children. But no, the moment he’d seen the preliminary plans for the latest development, he knew he wanted to be the exclusive agent for it. Even if it meant putting his plans for a family on hold again.
His name was golden now in real estate circles. Or at least his name had been golden. Right up until those fraudulent charges had been leveled against him.
Acid flooded his stomach at the thought of what he faced. He had to believe that he would be exonerated, but in the meantime, his reputation had been shredded. It was hard to shake off the effects of a character assassination such as he’d endured. He tucked both sleeping bags under his arm, walked to the parking lot and shoved them into the back of his SUV. Tonight was the first time they’d been used; he wondered if he’d ever use them again.
He paused and leaned against his vehicle, deep in thought. Had Cassie been in on the mortgage fraud? He hated to think that he might have misjudged her all these years. They were doing well. Actually they were doing more than well; he couldn’t imagine that she needed more money. But then he couldn’t have imagined that she’d leave him for Cole either.
His thoughts drifted to his partner. Cole Jackson didn’t need that kind of money either...did he? Matt had heard rumours about Cole’s gambling and had even asked him about it once, but his partner had assured him that that’s all they were...rumours. It had pained him to inform his lawyer about the whispered comments, but he was in a fight for his business life, and everything had to be considered, even the fact that Cassandra might have been implicated.
His thoughts went back to Leeza and he found himself smiling. Leeza would never do anything like that. He knew it as surely as he knew the sun would rise tomorrow.
And how do you know that? asked a voice in his head. You scarcely know the woman.
And yet he did know her. He couldn’t explain how or why, but he felt that he could see inside Leeza’s soul. What he saw wasn’t sleek and elegant; it was straightforward and honest...if a bit prickly. He liked that about her.
He pushed away from the car. Liking her was as far as it could go. He enjoyed her company and her unique take on life, but there could be nothing else. Not if he knew what was good for him.
Leeza’s good for you whispered the little voice.
“I know that,” he murmured to himself. “And that’s even more reason to keep my distance.”
So why was it becoming more difficult all the time?
Chapter Ten
Craig was getting up from the table when Brooke entered the dining room the next morning.
“Hi!” she greeted him. “What are you up to today?”
He clutched his stomach. “Don’t say ‘up’.”
Brooke empathized with him. She wasn’t fond of small aircraft either. “You’ll enjoy it, Craig. You really will. Besides, Jamie’s the best pilot around, and I’m not saying that because she’s my boss.” She looked out the window. “Look, it’s beautiful weather. Perfect conditions.”
“Hi Craig.” Billy appeared out of nowhere. His words were directed toward the film maker, but had eyes only for Brooke. “Finished already? I thought maybe we could all have breakfast together.”
Craig looked longingly at the chair he’d just deserted. “I’d like that, but I promised Jamie I’d go up with her.”
“Too bad. Why don’t we all get together tonight, then?”
Craig nodded. “Sounds good.” He looked out at the Beaver and spoke in an undertone. “If I’m still alive that is.”
Brooke laid a hand on his arm. “You don’t have to go, you know. Jamie would understand.”
At the mention of Jamie he brightened. “No, I have to try. Flying is everything to her and I promised her I’d give it a shot.” He gave them each an unconvincing smile. “See you later.”
Brooke turned to Billy. He looked right at home today in jeans and a stylish plaid shirt. “Looks like we’re having breakfast together. Was that what you had in mind?”
“It sure is. He looked up as Matt entered the dining room and looked around. “Here’s Matt.” He gestured him over. “Come and join us.” He pulled out a chair and Brooke sat.
Matt paused. “I’m supposed to be meeting Leeza. Have you seen her?”
Brooke nodded. “I got some coffee from the kitchen this morning and she was buzzing around in there.”
Billy stopped in the act of sitting down. “You’ve been here for a while?”
She lifted her shoulders. “I worked for about an hour. It’s a good time to get things done.”
Billy smiled his approval. “That’s my girl.” He settled in.
Matt looked back and forth between them. “I didn’t know you two...” His words tapered off as Leeza appeared. His dark eyes lit up and it was Brooke and Billy’s turn to exchange knowing glances.
“Morning everyone.” Leeza had taken care with her appearance this morning. Soft slate eye shadow enhanced her dark eyes, and Brooke thought she detected a hint of blusher on the chef’s cheeks. Matt was looking at her as if he’d never seen her before. She sat down and their server was at their table immediately. They ordered a carafe of coffee and a pot of tea and re-hashed last night’s baseball game.
“Let’s talk about the elephant in the room.” Billy placed his hands flat on the table. “We all want to.”
The other three smiled and relaxed.
“You mean Brooke’s idea,” said Matt, glancing toward the Office Manager. “Leeza told me about it.”
Billy leaned forward eagerly. “So what do you think Matt? What’s your professional opinion?”
“Well at first I thought it sounded like a bad fit with the resort, but now I don’t think so.” He flashed a questioning look at Brooke. “You’re not worried about putting up your money when the economy is in such turmoil?”
Brooke smiled. “Billy said the same thing about the bad fit, but like you he thought about it and changed his mind. As for the money, it’s the perfect time. My bank accounts are earning very little interest right now and this is a perfect time to talk to the Municipal Planning Department. They’re eager to increase their tax base which means they’ll be easy to work with.”
Matt pulled back, a smile of admiration on his face. “Remind me not to go up against you in a business deal.” He took a sip of tea and turned thoughtful. “I don’t think your money is in any danger. I was just playing devil’s advocate.” He turned to Leeza, who had been quietly watching the exchange. “Leeza and I were talking last night and she told me that Jamie owns more land to the north. I’m going to go back and check it out this morning. Get the lay of the land, as it were.”
A soft blush stained Leeza’s cheeks.
Matt continued. “Does anyone know if there’s a marker where Jamie’s property ends?”
Leeza spoke. “There’s an old gate about a mile up the road. It has a padlock on it and you can tell that it hasn’t been used for a long time. That’s the property line, I think.”
“Would you like some company? Billy glanced over at the buffet. “After breakfast, I mean?”
“Yes, I would.” Matt looked from Billy to Brooke and took a deep breath. “But before we go any farther I have something to tell you. “I’m being investigated for mortgage fraud.”
�
�You’re what?” Billy almost shouted, then lowered his voice when he realized that other diners were looking toward them. “Say again?”
Matt told them the story. Brooke listened silently, then shook her head. “You’re not guilty of course.”
Matt exhaled slowly. “Thank you for saying that. No, I’m not. My lawyer is trying to unravel everything and he said it would be better if I wasn’t around; that’s why I’m here. I can only hope he comes up with something.” He looked at Leeza and his eyes softened. “It’s been a rough time.”
Brooke was smoothing the already flat tablecloth. “When will you know?”
“They said about a week. Could be any day now.”
“Then a scouting trip is probably just what you need.” She smiled confidently. “It’ll take your mind off your problems. In the meantime, I have a busy day. First thing I have to do is type out a notice for the bulletin board at the campground store. People need to know how to borrow the baseball equipment, and where to return it.”
“Good idea.” Billy smiled at her as if she’d just discovered the cure for cancer.
“I’d better get busy too.” Leeza shoved back her chair but remained seated. “We have extra people coming for lunch. One of those small tour buses with a group of Japanese.” She lowered her voice and spoke to Matt and Billy. “It’s going to get busy in here; you might want to eat lunch out.”
Matt raised his eyebrows. “Then I won’t see you until later?”
She gave him a cocky smile. “I’ll be here. You’re the one who’s going out.”
“Let’s have a campfire tonight.” Billy looked to Leeza for confirmation. “Remember last year, when we had campfires at night down by the water? It was fun.”
Leeza nodded. “That’s right. I’d forgotten about that.” She looked at Billy. “Can you make sure we have some firewood? Maybe check with Floyd? That’s his department.”
“Sure. And if Floyd doesn’t have any, I’ll pick some up in town.”
The two women rose reluctantly, and the men scrambled to their feet as well.
“I’ll find you,” murmured Matt, running a hand down Leeza’s arm until his fingers were linked with hers.
She couldn’t have spoken to save her life. She nodded and turned toward the kitchen.
“Okay, Darlin’. Have a great day.” Billy kissed Brooke lightly on the cheek.
“Billy!” she admonished, but made no move to pull back. “You have a good day, too.”
* * *
Craig stood on the dock clutching a small tote bag. The lake reflected the blue of the sky and for a moment he forgot to be nervous. Goldie came bounding onto the deck and ran to his side, tail wagging.
“Hello there,” he said, reaching down to caress her head. He looked up to see Jamie striding down the lawn, hair flying loose behind her. Goldie barked softly then ran back up the dock to greet her mistress.
Jamie stopped part way down the dock and waved to Howie, who was fussing around his little shed on the adjacent dock. “Hi, Howie. I’m flying some people out this afternoon but I’m going on a short run now. If they show up before I’m back make sure they know I haven’t forgotten, okay?”
Howie smiled and waved. He’d been dealing with eager anglers longer than Jamie.
She continued down the dock, stopped inches away from Craig and gave him that frank, open smile that had first captured his heart. “You’re nervous, aren’t you.” It wasn’t a question.
“No.”
She was staring at his hands and he looked down. His knuckles were white where he clutched his bag. “Okay, maybe a bit.”
She laid a hand on his and her strength flowed into him. “We don’t have to go, Craig. You don’t have to prove anything to me.”
Those words confirmed for him what he already suspected; he was falling in love with her. “I want to do this. Come on, let’s go.”
She got him settled in the co-pilot’s seat with a set of earphones, then untied the aircraft and pushed off into deeper water.
She adjusted her mike and smiled at him. “You’ll feel vibration when we take off, but that’s only for a few moments. She spoke as she did her pre-flight checks. “It’s natural to be a little nervous after what you’ve been through, but I have a feeling you’re going to enjoy it.”
And she was right. Jamie took off into the slight wind and the moment they were airborne he forgot his fear. She handled the controls as competently as he’d known she would and within seconds he’d stopped watching her and started to see the landscape through the eyes of a film-maker.
“There’s your island,” he said, as they gained altitude and headed in a south-easterly direction. “I can see the shallow water between it and the land.” She acknowledged his enthusiastic comment with a nod of her head and banked the aircraft in an easterly direction. A broad expanse of rolling hills lay ahead, dotted with cattle. He raised his eyebrows in question.
“We have some of the largest ranches in the world in this area,” she said. The pride in her voice was obvious. “Look at all the young.” Calves lay sleeping near their mothers, ears twitching in the sun. “Should be a good year.”
She took him over hills carpeted with stands of timber and long narrow lakes in the valley bottoms. “Most of these lakes have excellent fishing,” she informed him. “I keep boats at two of them.
“Don’t they get stolen?”
She shook her head. “No, but then we don’t leave the motors on them. We bring electric motors and oars when I fly the fishermen in. Every once in a while someone borrows them but as long as they put them back, no harm is done.”
He watched the landscape unroll below them. “I didn’t realize that the terrain was so varied.” They rose slightly to clear a sparsely treed hill. “There are a lot of small lakes back in here; no wonder the fishing is so good.”
They’d only been flying about ten minutes when she started to descend. “Our destination is just over that hill.” She pointed to a long narrow hill just ahead and to the left.
He looked down. “How can you tell? After a while it all looks the same.”
“I’ve been here before.” She grinned and tapped one of her instruments. “GPS.”
He laughed and looked back out the window. “You could have told me anything. I’d have believed you.”
“I’ll remember that,” she said as they crested a hill.
A dark green lake lay below them; a gem surrounded by tall trees. The water was perfectly calm and mirrored the trees.
“See that old seat cushion just behind me?” Jamie motioned behind her seat. “Grab that will you?”
Craig did as he was told.
“Okay, now I’m going to make a pass and I want you to throw it out.” She tugged on his seat belt. “You’re safe. Just open the door and toss it out when I say. When it’s calm like this it’s hard to judge where the surface of the water is.”
He nodded his understanding and tossed out the pillow on her command.” It floated down and landed with a small splash, a bright spot of colour against the dark green of the water.
She pulled up, turned and touched down just ahead of the seat cushion.
“The propeller wash will push it to shore. We’ll pick it up later.” The aircraft slowed. She turned and headed toward a small narrow beach beside a stream. The water was so clear he could see the sandy bottom. She killed the engine and their momentum took them to within a few feet of the shoreline.
“Grab our bags while I tie her off, will you?” Jamie jumped out. “We’re going on a little hike.”
She pulled a machete from her tote bag, unsheathed it and started walking up a narrow trail. “Looks like nobody has been here for a while,” she said, hacking at the growth that threatened to crowd out the trail. She turned to make sure he was following. “You can clear on the way back. That’ll make it easier on the next people who come up here.” The recently sharpened edge of the machete glinted as she swung it at the encroaching greenery. Craig had never used one
of the long blades and he studied her technique as he scrambled to keep up.
They walked without speaking for a few minutes. Water burbled somewhere nearby. “We seem to be following a creek,” he said. “Are we hiking to another lake?”
“No, but where we’re going is connected to the creek.” She pointed ahead to a spot of brilliant sunshine in the middle of the woods. “We’re headed for that clearing.”
Craig followed eagerly and almost bumped into her when they stepped from the trail into the clearing. It was like stepping into the glare of a spotlight and he blinked, trying to take it in. The scent of sulphur hung in the air and he realized that they were at a hot springs. On the far side of the clearing, the stream tumbled down a gentle incline, falling from one pool to the next as it made its way into the clearing. Around the perimeter of the pool, ferns and other succulents sparkled in the sunshine, droplets of mist on their leaves.
“It’s a fairyland,” he said, stepping carefully between the lush plants.
“You brought your bathing suit, didn’t you?” She put the machete away and started to take off her jeans.
“I’ve got it on.”
“Good.” She pulled off her T-Shirt and piled her hair on top of her head. “You’re going to love this.”
Craig estimated that the bathing pool was somewhere around twelve feet across. Someone had created a stairway of flat stones leading into the pool, and flat stones had been strategically fitted into the edge of the pool to act as seats. Smaller flat stones rimmed the edge of the pool and tiny ferns grew between them, their delicate leaves dripping with mist.
“It looks like a movie set,” he said, then turned to look at her. She wore a simple navy one piece suit, cut high at the thighs. On her it looked sexier than any skimpy bikini he’d ever seen.
“You look beautiful,” he said and quickly removed his jeans and shirt, hanging them on a branch beside her clothes.
She stepped into the water with a soft sigh. Fingers of steam curled up from the water, silvery in the sunlight. She turned to find him watching her. “Come on,” she said softly, indicating where she wanted him to sit. “I’ve wanted to bring you here since I first met you.”