All They Ever Wanted

by Tracy Solheim

  He swallowed around the lump that had formed in his throat. “I hope that means you won’t mind serving as an advisor when I need one. I’m serious about protecting the rights of seniors. I know people in Washington would take me more seriously if I had some bipartisan support.”

  “I’m available for whatever you need me for, Miles.”

  “I appreciate that. Especially after everything that happened in the campaign.”

  “We both did our best to keep the nastiness out, Miles. I can’t blame you for what other people said and did. Just as I hope you don’t blame me. I told you how much I respected your father and what a dear friend your mother is to me. It was never my intention to go after them.”

  “I know and I appreciate that. I even helped things along by doing something outrageous just like you asked,” Miles joked.

  “Pfft,” Faye said into the other end of the phone. “You call that outrageous? You’re both single and attractive. Who could blame you? Outrageous would have been if you’d gone and married Leonard Dykstrom’s daughter. Although she’s turned out to be America’s favorite, so even that wouldn’t be that outrageous any longer.”

  Miles wasn’t sure what else he’d said to Faye before hanging up. He’d been on autopilot after she’d mentioned the subject of marriage. The idea of him marrying Lori was preposterous. Just the thought was making his heart race and head feel light.

  “Here you are,” his mother said as she slipped into the butler’s pantry. “The natives are getting antsy for your speech.”

  Miles shook his head slightly in order to realign his thoughts. He’d been planning this speech for most of his life. He needed to get his game on.

  His mother smiled broadly at him. “Such a wonderful day. All my children are in one place. Kate is growing another grandchild. Gavin is getting married. And my oldest son just got elected to Congress. I don’t know if I can get any happier.” She adjusted his tie. “Your father would be so proud of you, Miles. Not just because you’ve been elected, but of the man you’ve become. You didn’t change who that was to achieve your goal.”

  He leaned down to kiss his mother on the head. “Thanks, Mom, for everything.”

  Her eyes were shining when she looked up at him. “Are you happy, Miles? You look a little strained.”

  “Just tired, that’s all. It’s been a long few months. I’ll be fine once things settle down.”

  “You should take some time off now that you have the chance. After all, your life will be busy once you get to Washington. Maybe you can go on a little vacation.”

  Miles studied his mother’s face. She was up to something; he just couldn’t figure out what. “Did you have someplace specific in mind, Mom?”

  “Well, now that you mention it.” She dug through the large purse on her shoulder. “I don’t really want to send this through the mail.” His mother opened her hand and a worn gold wedding band was resting in her palm. “You could take this to Oregon and give it to Lori. I know she’d love to get it back.”

  He blew out a ragged breath as his pulse beat faster. “Where did you find it?”

  His mother rolled her eyes. “It seems my granddaughter is a bit of a kleptomaniac. She’s been ‘collecting’ things and stashing them in a box in my bedroom where I keep the costume jewelry for her. I was looking for a bracelet I’d let Emily borrow, to play dress-up, and lo and behold, there it all was, right there in the sparkly box. Apparently she’d been picking up a few extra trinkets when she followed Cassidy around the inn while Cassidy was restocking the bathrooms each day.” His mother gripped his arm, pleading. “Please don’t tell Kate. She and Alden would have the child in therapy or something. Emily and I had a long talk about it today. She seemed to think that everything in the inn was hers to play with. But she knows now what she did was wrong. It’s bad enough I’m going to have to grovel to former guests.”

  Miles barely comprehended what his mother was saying as he stared at the delicate ring in her hand. Lori’s ring. It was supposed to have brought her luck, according to her grandmother. She would want it back. His mother was right—the mail was unpredictable and he couldn’t take a chance at it being lost again. The campaign was over. His heart felt like he was in the home stretch of a triathlon, it was beating so quickly. Miles could certainly fly out to Oregon and return the ring in person. All that stood between him and seeing Lori again was a rousing campaign speech he’d been rehearsing since he was ten.

  “I’d be happy to deliver it in person.” He pocketed the ring and wrapped an arm around his mother’s shoulders, feeling like he was having an out-of-body experience when he agreed to run his mother’s errand. “But first, I have some people to thank.”

  * * *

  The ragged Oregon coastline was spectacular as the sun dipped toward the sea on the late autumn afternoon. Lori had forgotten how much she’d missed the gorgeous sunsets of her hometown. The sprawling three-story inn sat on top of a bluff overlooking one of the many inlets along the Pacific coast. Unlike the Victorian-style Tide Me Over Inn, the Towering Peaks Inn was covered entirely with redwood shingles, from its roof to its foundation. Nearly all of the ten guest rooms featured a patio overlooking the bay. There was even a turret with a large sitting room at the top featuring a spectacular 360-degree view of the ocean and the surrounding forest. The interior of the B and B was decorated in the cozy French provincial style with fresh flowers from Bruce’s nursery adorning every room.

  Lori had been back in Oregon, cooking at her mother’s inn, for nearly three months. True to her word, her mom had relinquished complete control of her restaurant to Lori. Now, her mother and Bruce spent part of their time traveling and touring other B and B’s around the country, giving seminars to inn owners about their successful farm-to-table approach.

  Unencumbered by the disguise she’d been forced to don in Chances Inlet, Lori felt free in the kitchen. She reveled in the ability to create unique dishes and bake delicious desserts for her mother’s guests. In addition, she’d instituted a daily tea similar to those Patricia hosted, as well as the weekly wine flights she’d perfected at the Tide Me Over Inn. Given the vineyards surrounding the inn, Lori had quickly been able to work out a partnership with most of the wineries in the area. At long last, Lori had everything she ever wanted.

  Most everything anyway.

  “Sissy.”

  Lori looked away from the dining room’s panoramic view to see Ian hesitating in the doorway of the kitchen. He’d stopped asking for his parents weeks ago, and as long as Tessa was by his side, the boy was content and adjusted. Lori felt a rush of pride that her mother had taken her ex-husband’s child into her home and her heart as if Ian were her own. A tutor came each morning to help with schoolwork, and in the afternoons Bruce or her mother took the boy fishing or on a nature hike looking for animals. Ian was even asking if he could join her mom and Bruce on their trip to Arizona later in the month. While Lori would miss her brother, she was glad that he had adjusted to the transition in his life so seamlessly.

  “Hey, Ian. How are the kittens doing?” One of the barn cats had just had a litter and Bruce tasked Ian with checking on them throughout the day. Her stepfather had been incredibly empathetic to the boy, finding things at the inn to keep Ian engaged and happy.

  “The black one with the three white feet scratched the gray one,” Ian said. “But the momma cat swatted the black one with the three white feet. Then she licked the gray one all better. She’s a good momma.”

  Lori’s throat grew tight. She wasn’t sure how Ian could differentiate between a good mother and the one he had, but somehow he did. “Most mommas are good, sweetie.” She kissed the top of his head. “It’s a Wednesday night, you know what that means?”

  “Family dinner!”

  The inn was typically closed in the middle of the week during the winter months and Lori’s mother had always insisted on a family dinner out
that night, just so they could reconnect. She was glad her mother had thought to continue the practice for Ian.

  Ian’s smile suddenly fell. “Can he come, too?”

  Perplexed, Lori stared at the boy. “Can who come?” She hoped he wasn’t asking about one of the kittens.

  “Your friend Miles.”

  Lori’s stomach dropped to her feet. “How do you know about Miles?” she croaked.

  “He’s here,” Ian answered earnestly. “He’s in the barn. He likes kittens, too. I told him I was coming to get you.”

  Miles is here? In the barn? With the kittens?

  Lori glanced into one of the small antique mirrors her mother had scattered about the walls as part of the décor. She anxiously smoothed back a strand of hair, now back to its natural fiery red color and cut into waves. Running a hand over her cashmere sweater and black denim jeans, she followed Ian out to the barn, her Steve Madden boots loud on the slate walkway.

  “I found her,” Ian called as he ran into the barn.

  Lori’s stomach took another nosedive while her eyes took a moment to adjust from the afternoon sunlight to the dark confines of the barn. When finally she could see, her breath halted in her lungs, forcing a gasp past her lips. Sure enough, Miles McAlister was in the barn looking sexy as ever. He was sitting on the straw as a trio of kittens crawled over his legs. His blue eyes met hers and Lori thought her knees would surely buckle at the impact of his slow, appreciative smile.

  “These little buggers have sharp claws,” he said as he lifted the black one with three white legs by the scruff of the neck so it couldn’t do further damage to the leather bomber jacket Miles was wearing. Lori licked her lips. Miles looked nothing like a newly elected Congressman. Dressed in worn jeans, dark Sorel boots, and a light chambray shirt, he looked like he belonged on the small farm rather than the marble halls of Washington, D.C.

  “That’s Chester,” Ian was saying as he took the kitten from Miles. “He can be a bit precocious.”

  Miles arched an eyebrow at Ian. “Can he now? I bet you can handle him, though.”

  Ian’s chest puffed out, making Lori’s own heart swell.

  “I’m good with animals,” Ian said proudly, parroting a phrase he’d heard often throughout his lifetime.

  As if to validate Ian’s comment, Tessa wandered into the barn. She gave an excited yip at the sight of Miles, before brushing up against Ian’s leg.

  “Good to see you again, too, Tessa,” Miles said as he got to his feet, wiping straw off his jeans. Tessa gave a contented groan when Miles scratched her behind an ear. “Midas says hello, by the way,” he murmured. When he looked up, his eyes came to rest on Lori. Her stomach fluttered again.

  “Hello, Lori.”

  “Miles. Wh-what are you doing here?” she stammered.

  “He came to see you,” Ian answered for him. “Didn’t you, Miles?”

  “I did.” Miles shoved his hands in his pockets.

  His easy grin was doing things to her body. Lori wiped her damp palms on her jeans.

  “I don’t understand. You just won your election. Don’t you have things to do? Important things?” She was babbling like an idiot when all she wanted to do was throw her arms around his neck and kiss him before she woke up from the wonderful dream she apparently was having.

  “Actually, it’s pretty anticlimactic after all the votes are counted. There’s a bit of a lull before I take office in January.”

  “Oh.”

  Ian looked back and forth at Miles and Lori. “So you came to visit Sissy.”

  Miles’ grin grew broader at Ian’s pet name for her, and Lori rocked back on her heels. Had he come just to see her?

  “I did,” he repeated as if to answer her silent question. Even in the fading light in the barn, she thought she detected a flash of something familiar in his eyes.

  “Um, do you need a room? We’re usually closed at midweek during the off-season, but I’m sure my mother wouldn’t mind.”

  There was definitely a spark in his blue eyes when she mentioned a room. Lori huffed out a breath. Had he come to see her? Or to see her naked? Even more frustrating: Would she be able to resist him if that was his plan? Somehow she didn’t think so.

  Miles’ chin went to his chest before he jerked it back up again. “Honestly, I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”

  His admission caught her off guard. Miles was not one to go off script. Ever.

  “Oh.” Miles wasn’t the only one repeating himself. Lori gestured toward the B and B. “Well, why don’t we go inside and we can figure it out,” she suggested. She’d be able to handle the situation much better if they were on her home turf of the kitchen. Lori felt off-kilter staring at a dressed-down Miles covered in kittens.

  Ian put the kittens in an empty stall with their mother and the three of them headed toward the back door of the B and B. Miles’ hand swung loosely at his side, unnerving her with its proximity to her body.

  “Miles!” her mother exclaimed when they entered the house. “What a nice surprise.”

  Except her mother looked anything but surprised. Instead, she looked guilty. And excited. Lori stomped into the kitchen. Bruce was making himself a cup of coffee in the Keurig. He didn’t look any more surprised at the sight of Miles than her mother did. Lori pulled a bottle of Riesling out of the fridge, uncorked it, and poured herself some. Taking a healthy swallow, she then surveyed the scene over the rim of the glass.

  Her mother was handing Miles a set of keys to the Bordeaux Suite, one she traditionally reserved for honeymoons and anniversaries because of its double soaking tub and private balcony.

  “I promised Ian a trip to the library if he finished all his schoolwork,” her mother was saying as Bruce quickly tied the laces on his sneakers. “We’ll probably grab a pizza afterwards. I’ll text you when we get to the pizza place in case you two want to join us.” With Tessa at their heels, they were out the door faster than if they were practicing for a fire drill.

  Lori felt Miles’ stare bore into her as she sipped her wine, but she refused to meet his eyes. Not when she doubted her own body’s reaction to him. “Of all the places you could go to rest up after the campaign, I’m surprised you would pick the Oregon coast in November.”

  She watched out of the corner of her eye as Miles pulled off his jacket and draped it over the back of a chair. “Actually, did you know that as Gavin’s best man, I’m responsible for the groom’s cake?”

  Once again, he’d surprised her and Lori coughed as she choked a little on her wine. Miles reached for her glass, taking a sip for himself, his blue eyes dancing.

  “I had no idea,” she said as she pulled another glass out of the cabinet and poured wine into it before refilling her own. Something told her she might need the fortification.

  Miles leaned his elbows on the other side of the island. “Yep. And apparently, my brother has been spoiled for any other woman’s baked goods.”

  She coughed to cover the laughter that bubbled up inside her at the absurdity of his statement. Her giddiness was followed quickly by a burst of anger. Damn him for making me fall more in love with him. She’d patched up her broken heart just fine these past few months. But seeing him again was chiseling it back into shards. Miles wouldn’t understand the concept because he kept his own heart under lock and key.

  “You didn’t have to come all this way to ask me to make a cake for your brother,” she snapped. “An e-mail or a phone call would have sufficed.”

  He walked around the island and leaned a hip against the counter next to her. Her nostrils breathed in the achingly familiar scent of him, making her feel a little light-headed. She closed her eyes to steady her nerves, all the while willing her hand not to reach out to touch him.

  “That’s not the real reason I came,” he said softly.

  Slowly, she raised her eyelids. Miles pull
ed something out of his shirt pocket and began twirling it on his finger.

  “My grandmother’s ring!” she shrieked.

  “You sure?” He held it up to the light. “Although it does match the description you gave Lamar.”

  Her anger evaporated and joy filled the space it left behind. Lori never thought she’d see her talisman again. “It is! Oh Miles, where did you find it?”

  “Apparently, Emily has a penchant for sparkly things.”

  Understanding dawned on Lori. “Her sparkly box!” Lori laughed incredulously. “Emily couldn’t resist anything that glittered. She was always digging through the drawers.” Her hand shot to her mouth. “Oh my gosh, she used to play with Tessa in my room! The lure of a packed duffel bag had to be too much for an inquisitive six-year-old.”

  “Mmm. It seems my adorable niece might be leaning toward a life of crime.” He laughed and the sound of it scraped against her lower belly, making her muscles clench. “My sister Kate is in for a rude awakening.”

  “Your poor mother, having to explain that to her guests.”

  “Nah.” He winked at her. “I’m pretty sure she blamed the whole thing on Midas.”

  She didn’t bother choking back the laugh this time. Lori was so delighted to see her grandmother’s ring again. When she reached for it, however, Miles closed his fingers around it.

  “Hey, do I get it back or not?”

  Miles returned the ring to his front pocket. His face was enigmatic. “That depends on the answer to a question. You said you wouldn’t leave Chances Inlet without this ring, but you did anyway. Why?”

  Lori’s cheeks burned and her chest grew tight. She felt like she was on the upslope of a roller coaster. Was he really here to rehash her embarrassing declaration of unrequited love? “I left to protect you from the scandal that surrounded me. But you know that already. Why are you here, Miles?” Her voice sounded hoarse as she pushed the words through her throat, now raw with emotion.