“Yet you’re still going to see them?” He raised a brow.
“Hey, I do it for the girls. It’s important for their grandparents to be a part of their lives. Anyway, I love Ford, and Olivia and I have an armed truce. Bryce’s sister, Erica, can be a pain. She blamed me for leaving her brother, but I think she’s finally coming around. For the girls’ sake, I want a civil relationship with their aunt and grandmother.”
“You’re a good mom, Rachel.”
“I try, though sometimes I wonder. It’s tough being a single parent.”
“Tell me about your life now. You own a bookstore?”
“Yep, The Book Nook is my baby.”
“It sounds like you have a great life.”
“I can’t complain, well not much, anyway. Until yesterday, my sex life was nonexistent.”
He reached for her hand and squeezed it. “Then I feel honored you chose me.”
“That’s a sweet thing to say. What about you? It’s hard to believe there’s no woman back in San Francisco waiting impatiently for your return.”
“There hasn’t been anyone important in my life since my divorce.”
“You must have wanted it that way.”
“Maybe, but I think I’m ready for a change. You mean a lot more to me than a single night in a canoe.”
“Then I won’t be waiting in vain for the phone to ring?” She tilted her head to look up at him.
“Not a chance. I want to make this work. I know the odds are against us, but I want to try.”
They were almost back to camp when Kane stopped and took her into his arms. His lips were hot and demanding, eliciting an answer she was more than willing to give.
She pulled away from his heated kiss when the back of her neck tingled. “I think someone’s watching us.”
The sun was sinking behind the mountains, casting shadows across the forest.
His gaze scanned the woods. “I don’t see anyone. Did you hear something?”
“No, just a feeling, but it gave me goose bumps. My imagination must be working overtime.”
He rubbed his hands along her arms. “We should probably head back to camp anyway. The dinner bell is ringing.”
“Will you join us at the campfire this evening?”
He ran a finger along her cheekbone then traced the curve of her lip. Rachel’s breath caught.
“I’d love to.”
“Good. Let’s go eat. I’m starving, and if I know my girls, they probably aren’t waiting.”
“You go on ahead. I’ll take Daisy back to the cabin and give her some dinner.”
“Thanks, but you don’t have to do that.”
“I don’t mind.”
She reached up and kissed his cheek. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
As she hurried toward the picnic area, the prickling sensation at the base of her neck intensified. If the idea didn’t seem so ridiculous, she’d swear someone was watching.
Chapter 9
Kane unloaded the mules then helped stash their gear in the SUV while the girls fidgeted and grumbled. Now that the camping trip was over, they were eager to see their grandparents.
“Let’s go, Mom.” Jade boosted Daisy into the back of the car.
“I think you can wait two minutes while I tell everyone good-bye.”
“Fine, but don’t take forever.”
They’d hiked out with the majority of their fellow campers. Only the Andrews along with George and Rita Dawson and their daughters had stayed on.
Rachel approached the group sorting out their possessions near the corral. “Tiff, I hope I’ll see you again soon.” She embraced the younger woman.
Tiffany grinned. “Of course you will. I wouldn’t dream of passing up a free wine-tasting tour at your parents’ vineyard, and neither will Mimi. Expect to see us in August.”
“I’m counting on it.” She turned to Curt with a smile. “It was nice meeting you. Too bad you have to leave before the rest of your family.”
“Business first. You know how it is.”
Rachel shook hands with Chip and Bob, but Dennis grabbed her in a quick, hard hug. His expression was reverent when he finally released her.
“I’ll look forward to that hike we talked about.”
Rachel ruffled Rex’s hair and headed back to the car where Kane waited.
“Are you through spreading cheer and good wishes?” He took her hand.
“Jealous?”
“Damned straight. I’m going to miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too.”
“You still have my number?”
She nodded. Groaning, he pulled her hard against his body and kissed her. She came up gasping for air and flushed with embarrassment.
“Sorry, but I couldn’t help myself.”
“I’m not sorry at all.” She reached up to touch his cheek. “Call me.” Forcing herself to turn away, she climbed into the SUV and started the engine.
“Bye, girls. Have fun at your grandparents’ house.”
“We will. Bye, Kane.”
With the two younger girls waving wildly through the open windows, they drove away.
Lark slumped in the passenger seat, her expression one of disgust. “Gee, Mom, next time why don’t you rent a room?”
“It was just a kiss, Lark.”
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
Rachel smiled. Even Lark couldn’t disturb her good mood. After last night, she was confident she’d see Kane again. At the campfire, he’d joked with Jade and Ivy and tried to draw Lark out of her shell. He hadn’t laid a finger on Rachel, but his eyes reflected his need. Without words, he’d told her he was willing to slow things down for the sake of her girls.
“Mom wasn’t the only one kissing boys. I saw you and Kevin.” Ivy’s tone was guaranteed to infuriate her sister. “Lark and Kevin sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g....”
“Shut up, brat.” Lark’s face flushed pink.
“Ivy, leave your sister alone.” Rachel spoke sharply. “Please, can’t you try to get along? Enjoy the view.” She pointed toward the right where the mountainside fell away from the freeway to a lake far below. “There’s Donner Lake.”
Ivy leaned out the open window. “I saw it first.”
“You did not.” Jade’s voice rose. “I did.”
Lark turned to glare into the back seat. “Can you two stop being such babies?”
“Girls, please.”
At Rachel’s final plea, they dropped the armed warfare as they exited the freeway in Truckee and followed the two-lane highway to Tahoe City. The senior Carpenters lived on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe a few miles from town in a gorgeous lakefront estate. Bryce had bought it with his first big signing bonus, and while Ford and Olivia had the use of the stately home for their lifetime, the girls actually owned it. Bryce’s entire estate had passed to them on his death and was administered by a bevy of lawyers. Although Rachel never touched a penny of her ex-husband’s money, it was comforting to know her girls were set for life financially.
She pulled off the road in front of an electronic gate and shifted the SUV into park. “Do you remember the code?”
Lark nodded and jumped out. A minute later, the gates opened. Rachel drove through then followed the driveway down to the main house. It was a beautiful natural wood and fieldstone structure with a magnificent view of Lake Tahoe. A three-car garage sat off to the left with a small caretaker cottage behind it. A lush green lawn lined with flowerbeds bursting with blooms spread in front of the house.
“There’s Grandpa Ford.” Ivy leaped out of the car the instant they stopped and threw herself at the tall, silver-haired man who had just exited the house.
Jade ran behind her. Lark followed more slowly but gave her grandfather a warm hug. Rachel released Daisy from the back of the SUV and was the last to be enfolded in his embrace.
“How are my girls?” Ford adjusted his wire-rimmed glasse
s, which Ivy had knocked askew.
“Great.” Jade walked back to the SUV and yanked out a suitcase. “We had tons of fun camping.”
“I painted some really neat pictures of wildflowers. I can’t wait to show them to Grandma.”
Lark rolled her eyes. “Ivy’s the next Picasso, at least in her own mind.”
White teeth flashed in his tanned face as Ford smiled. “How about you, Lark? Did you have fun?”
“I guess so. I made a couple of new friends, but Mom had the best time of all.” Intercepting a warning look from her mother, she pressed her lips together.
“I’m glad to hear it.” Ford wrapped an arm around Rachel’s shoulders. “It’s high time you enjoyed yourself.”
“We all had fun. Where’s Olivia?”
“She’s inside getting lunch ready. Your timing is perfect.”
“Can we go eat?” Jade dropped two more bags onto the driveway. “I’m hungry.”
“Sure. We’ll bring in your luggage later.”
Olivia Carpenter greeted her granddaughters enthusiastically and gave Rachel a perfunctory kiss on the cheek. The petite woman with frosted blond hair cut in a chic look smelled of Chanel perfume.
“I’m so glad you’re here. Everyone fix a plate and bring it out to the back patio. It’s too nice a day to eat inside.”
“That does sound good.” Rachel gave her a warm smile, determined to make the weekend a success.
Before long, they were all enjoying Olivia’s excellent Cobb salad along with the view. Lake Tahoe shimmered beneath a cloudless sky, the smooth surface of the water disturbed by the wake of an occasional boat roaring by.
Jade picked a piece of avocado out of her salad. “I want to try wakeboarding this summer.”
“Maybe tomorrow.” Ford set down his fork. “We thought we’d spend the day on the lake. Erica, Dan and Wes are coming, too. We just took the boat out of storage, and I’m looking forward to using it.”
“Are they going to be here for dinner?”
“Not tonight.” Olivia smiled at her granddaughter. “If you’re finished eating, Ivy, why don’t you bring in your paintings? I’m looking forward to seeing your progress.”
“And I’ll get the luggage.” Her husband pushed back his chair.
Rachel spent the rest of the afternoon doing laundry. She and Lark each had a room of their own, while Jade and Ivy shared one with twin beds. Once the mounds of dirty clothes were washed and put away, Rachel tied on her running shoes and left the grounds for a quick jog down the bike path with Daisy. When she returned, Jade and Ivy were playing croquet with Ford on the front lawn.
“How was your run?”
“Nice but short. I went down to Hurricane Bay and tried to lure Daisy into the water with sticks.”
“Good one, Mom.” Jade knocked a red ball through a wire hoop. “Not in this lifetime.”
Ivy snickered. “Her fur looks awfully dry to me.”
Daisy lay in the shade of a Rhododendron bush with her tongue hanging.
Rachel grinned. “She didn’t fall for it.”
“You have plenty of time for a longer run before dinner if you want to take one.” Ford waved a hand toward the road. “There’s a great trail that winds through the woods along Ward Creek. It starts just across from the driveway.”
“Maybe I’ll try it tomorrow. I thought I’d help Olivia with dinner.”
“I’m sure she’d love your company.”
Rachel wasn’t so certain. “Where’s Lark?”
“Taking a shower.” Ivy crowed in delight when she knocked her grandfather’s ball away from the wicket.
“The thought of hot water’s enticing, but I think I can survive until this evening.”
Rachel left them to their game and found Olivia in the kitchen sliding a fat chicken in the oven to roast.
“What can I do to help?”
Her ex-mother-in-law shut the oven door and turned to face her. “I think I have it all under control.”
“There must be something I can do.”
“I suppose you can peel potatoes while I snap these green beans.”
Rachel set to work with a bag of potatoes and a peeler. Olivia stood on the other side of the island, snapping beans. After a moment, the silence grew uncomfortable.
Rachel let out a slow breath. “Tell me about your winter in Scottsdale.”
“It was pretty much the same as always. Ford played a lot of golf, and I painted and practiced my tennis. I did take a sculpting class, which was fun.”
“You stayed in Arizona longer than usual, didn’t you?”
Olivia nodded. “We enjoy it down there. As beautiful as this place is—” she waved toward the gleaming granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances and cherry wood cabinets “—I prefer our home there. Not that I miss it on a day like today when it’s well over a hundred degrees outside.”
“You probably don’t miss Tahoe when the temperatures are below freezing, and it’s snowing so hard you can’t find your driveway.”
“No, we have the best of both worlds. I spent my fair share of time shoveling snow when the kids were growing up, and I definitely don’t miss it.” She let out a deep sigh. “Bryce always loved the winters here. That’s why he insisted on buying this house for us. He wanted his daughters to have a place to come to enjoy the snow.”
“They do have a great time when they’re here no matter what the season.”
“So, how are the girls? Ford and I were sorry to miss Lark’s and Jade’s graduation ceremonies. Did you have a party?”
“My mom made a family dinner. Anything more elaborate wouldn’t have been appropriate under the circumstances.” Rachel dropped a bag full of peelings into the trash. “What would you like me to do with the potatoes?”
“Just cover them with cold water. That’ll keep them fresh until I’m ready to add them to the chicken.” Olivia glanced over. “What circumstances?”
Rachel found a bowl and ran water over the potatoes. “I’m sure you noticed Lark’s hair.”
“It’s hard to miss.” Her ex-mother-in-law’s lips firmed. “I admit I had to bite my tongue when I saw her.”
“Lark and I are having a few problems. The hair isn’t the worst of it. I’m afraid she has a tattoo as well.”
“That’s horrible! I’m surprised you let her do something so drastic.”
“Lark didn’t ask my permission. Of course I didn’t approve, and her behavior certainly didn’t warrant a party.”
Olivia released another deep sigh. “Bryce would have had a firmer hand with those girls.”
Rachel sincerely doubted it, but she wasn’t about to say so to his mother. “Lark misses her father very much. We all do.”
“Is that what you were doing while we were camping, Mom, missing Dad?” Lark strolled into the kitchen, her hair still damp from her shower. “When were you missing him the most, when you were cuddled up next to Kane at the campfire or out in the canoe? Maybe the day he took you on that six-hour hike?”
Rachel closed her eyes for a long moment. “Don’t use that tone when you speak to me.”
“Then don’t pretend you miss Dad! If you cared, you wouldn’t have divorced him.”
“We may have been divorced, but I never stopped caring about what happened to your father. You might think you know everything, Lark, but some relationships are complicated.”
“Your relationship with Kane didn’t seem very complicated. He kissed you, and you kissed him back.”
Olivia drew in a breath. “This may not be my business, but who is this Kane person?”
“He’s Mom’s new boyfriend.”
Rachel gave Lark a quelling look. “He’s a friend. We met through my sister, Grace, and then again at the camp this past week.”
“I suppose you have every right to date if you choose to.” Olivia’s voice quavered. “I can’t expect you to remain faithful to my son’s memory forever.”
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“Especially since we were divorced when he died.” Rachel set down the bowl of potatoes with a thump.
Hold it together, Rachel.
“It’s okay, Grandma.” Lark squeezed Olivia’s trembling shoulders. “I won’t ever forget Dad.”
“You’re a good girl.” Olivia wiped away a stray tear. “Thank you for your help, Rachel. I think we’re finished in here for now.”
After meeting Lark’s defiant stare with a cool one, Rachel nodded to Olivia and left the kitchen. In her room, she dug her cell phone from her purse and headed down to the lake. She heaved a sigh of relief when Grace answered on the third ring.
“Tell me I can do this.” Rachel pressed a hand to her throbbing temple. “Tell me I can take another couple of days of Olivia’s tortured sighs.”
“Trouble in paradise?”
“It only looks like paradise.” She gazed across the water. “Why did I agree to spend the weekend here, do you remember?”
Grace snorted. “Because you love your daughters? Because Ford is awesome, and you don’t want the girls to think you hate their grandmother?”
“I don’t hate her. She’s sad and pathetic and will never believe her son was less than perfect, but her comments get on my nerves. Anyway, I only love two of my daughters. I want to wring the third one’s neck.”
“Twenty bucks says I can guess which one.”
“No bet. Lark just told Olivia all about my new boyfriend. The woman thinks I’m besmirching her son’s memory.”
“That’s priceless. Did my niece make it up just to spite you?”
Rachel was silent for a moment. “She didn’t exactly make it up. She may have embellished the truth with a few unnecessary labels.”
“What?” Grace’s voice rose. “What boyfriend?”
“That’s the label I’m talking about. I wouldn’t call Kane my boyfriend, but we’re sort of seeing each other. Maybe. If he calls—” Rachel stuttered to a halt. “All right, we made love. Once. Well, technically twice, but we didn’t sleep together. We were in a canoe at the time.”
Every Move She Makes Page 10