Good Lord, the boy really was a sponge, soaking up what everyone said.
He also had a surprisingly well-developed sense of humor for a six-year-old.
“So what does your father do for a living?” she asked.
He blinked up at her. “Do?” he repeated.
“What does your dad do for work?”
“But you know that already. He works for you.”
Olivia couldn’t quite stifle a laugh. “No, I mean before he started working for me. Does he run a business? You mentioned your grampy had a ship; do your father and grandfather run some sort of shipping business together?”
“No, they don’t do anything together except argue over Dad getting married.”
Oh, that’s right; she’d forgotten about Mac and Henry’s quest for a wife—and the woman’s state of virginity not being as important as her bravery.
“Are you angry at Dad and me?” Henry asked.
“No. What makes you think that?”
“Well, you’ve been avoiding us ever since our picnic on Sunday. So I guessed we must have done something wrong or said something to upset you.” He reached over and took her hand in his and patted the back of it with his other hand. “And I could sense that you were afraid and angry earlier this morning, and if it has something to do with me or Dad, then I wish to apologize for the both of us.” He gave her a tentative smile. “Because we both really like you, Miss Olivia, and we’d feel bad if we upset you.”
Good Lord, did this child know how to tug on her heartstrings, or what?
Much the same way his father did.
“I’m not upset with either of you,” she said in all honesty, since she was upset with herself. Which meant she certainly didn’t have to worry about Mac asking her to marry him, did she, since she wasn’t even brave enough to return his stupid jacket. “I’ve just been really busy trying to get Inglenook ready for its new season.” She reversed their grip and patted his hand. “And you and your father have been a really big help. In fact, I’m so close to getting everything done, I believe the two of you should take tomorrow off and do something fun together.”
“Like what?”
“Well, maybe you could drive down to Turtleback Station—that’s a town not too far from here—and do some shopping and go see a movie.”
“Will you and Sophie come with us? Tomorrow’s Saturday, so she doesn’t have school. Hey, I know,” he said, his expression turning eager. “Dad and I can take you ladies to dinner at a restaurant in Turtleback Station. It’ll be our treat.”
Oh yeah, this boy had been soaking Mac up like a charming sponge, and Olivia found herself pitying the woman this formidable father-son team decided was brave enough to marry them.
“I’m sorry, but Sophie and I have other plans for tomorrow.”
His face fell. “I understand. And Dad and I will probably spend tomorrow in the kitchen learning how to feed ourselves.” He sighed so hard Olivia was surprised he didn’t hurt his chest. “If we don’t figure out how to run a stove we’re going to starve soon, because Dad’s decided we aren’t going to have servants when we buy our house in Midnight Bay.” He gave her a sidelong glance. “Does Inglenook have cooking classes when the guests are here, so people can learn how not to burn everything so badly it tastes like charred wood?”
“Sorry,” Olivia said with a laugh. “We only specialize in helping parents and children get along with each other.”
He looked out at the lake. “Maybe when we get our new home we can build a fire pit in the backyard. Dad seems to do better when he can see the actual flame.”
“Or you could make sure your new house has a propane stove instead of an electric one,” she suggested. “The burners have a flame he can see. And if the food starts to burn he just has to shut it off and the heat’s gone instantly.”
“That’s it?” he asked, brightening. “They make stoves that use fire instead of electricity? Is the stove in the lodge propane?”
“It is,” she said, nodding. “And there’s a barbecue pit out back on the patio for building a wood fire you can cook on. I’ll tell you what: If it’s warm enough tomorrow evening we’ll have a campfire, and I’ll bring everything we need to make s’mores.”
“S’mores?”
“What? You’ve never had s’mores?”
“I don’t even know what they are. Is it something you eat?”
“They’re graham cracker and chocolate and marshmallow sandwiches. You roast the marshmallows over the fire until they’re all soft and gooey, set them on a graham cracker that has a piece of chocolate on it, and then squish everything down with another graham cracker on top. Sophie is an excellent s’mores maker, and I’m sure she’d love to show you how much fun they are to make. And we’ll have hot cocoa and—” She stopped when Henry suddenly perked up and cocked his head, as though he were listening to something.
“There’s a big truck coming up the last hill to Inglenook,” he said, scrambling to his feet. He stilled again. “No, I believe there are two trucks.”
Olivia also scrambled to her feet with a quick glance at her watch, worried that Sophie’s school had let out early and no one had been in the office to answer the phone. But then she jumped off the dock and started running down the lane when she heard the distinct sound of air brakes releasing.
“Come on, let’s go see what’s being delivered,” she said, looking back to make sure he was following as she racked her brain trying to remember what she’d ordered.
Or had Eileen ordered something without telling her?
Olivia skidded to a stop at the sight of two big tractor-trailer rigs pulling into the lower parking lot. “No!” she cried, taking off at a run again.
“The horses are here!” Henry shouted, sprinting past her.
Yes, they were—ten days early! What was she going to do with twelve horses for the next two weeks when she hadn’t even found a wrangler to tend them yet, not to mention the cost of the extra hay and grain they were going to eat that she hadn’t budgeted for?
Mac was already standing next to the first truck when she ran into the parking lot, and shaking Caleb Roy’s hand by the time she reached them.
“Caleb,” she said, pressing against the stitch in her side as she tried to catch her breath. God, she really did need to start working out. “What are you doing here? You’re not… supposed to bring the horses for… another week and a half,” she panted, glaring at the amusement in his eyes.
“Hell, Livy, I’ve got a tired old gelding in the trailer that’s in better shape than you are.” The sparkle in his eyes intensified, his gaze traveling down the length of her, then back up. “You do look like you’ve put on a pound or two over the winter.”
“I did not,” she growled, uncomfortably aware of Mac standing just off to her left—probably checking out her backside and rethinking his offer to have an affair. “What are you doing here today, Caleb?” She gestured at the trailer behind him. “I don’t have a staff in place to take care of the horses until April fifteenth. What am I supposed to do with these eating machines for the next two weeks?”
That sobered him. “Didn’t Eileen tell you I called? I explained we had a small barn fire Sunday, and asked if I couldn’t bring these guys to you a little earlier than we’d planned. We need to tear down what’s left of the barn and get a new one built.”
“Oh no, did you lose any horses?”
“Naw. We got them all out in time.” He shook his head, his eyes pained. “A couple of them got beat up, though, when they busted through a fence. It took us two days to round everyone up, and we still haven’t found old Zeb.” He suddenly grinned. “He’s probably halfway to Canada by now.”
Olivia glared at him. “Are you bringing me traumatized horses? Caleb, you know I need calm, gentle animals. I have children riding them.”
He gestured at the trailer. “Trust me; this crew is so bombproof they wouldn’t care if you put ten screaming kids on their backs. As for feeding them, I threw i
n extra hay at no charge, and I’m willing to take a few hundred bucks off our original deal as thanks for letting me bring them early.”
“That still doesn’t take care of my staffing problem.”
“I got that covered, too.” He gestured for the man standing beside the truck to come over. “This is Sam Waters, and he’ll be your horse wrangler for the summer. Didn’t Eileen tell you that I’d offered his services?”
“No, she didn’t.”
“Sam, this puffing lady is Livy Baldwin,” Caleb said as the middle-aged man limped over to them. “Now don’t let her being out of shape fool you none. From my past dealings with Livy, I happen to know for a fact there’s a tigress lurking behind those big brown eyes of hers.”
“Olivia,” Sam said as he held out his hand, his slate-gray eyes also filled with amusement… and something else she couldn’t quite identify. “If it eases your mind any, boss, I can vouch that the horses are bombproof.”
Oh, lovely; another big strapping male calling her boss. Olivia shook Sam’s large callused hand, and still reeling in shock at once again being blindsided by Eileen, the best she could do was give him a smile and a nod.
But no sooner had she ended the handshake when Mac stepped forward and thrust out his hand. “Mac Oceanus,” he said. “Olivia’s only other employee at the moment. Welcome to Inglenook, Sam.”
“Mac,” Sam said as the two men shook hands—which, she noticed, lasted an inordinate amount of time as they eyed each other.
“And that excited young man is my son, Henry,” Mac said, breaking the handshake to gesture at Henry watching two of Caleb’s workers lowering the big heavy ramp. “And though I haven’t seen him ride yet, the boy tells me he’s quite a horseman already.”
“Caleb, could I talk to you in private, please?” Olivia said tightly, walking to the side of the parking lot.
“Uh-oh, I’m afraid the tiger’s about to show me her claws,” Caleb said with a laugh, following. “Sam, go ahead and take the horses to the barn, will you?”
“What’s going on?” she asked the moment they were both out of earshot. “You can’t just up and bring me a wrangler without discussing it with me first.”
“I did discuss it—with Eileen. Didn’t she tell you?”
“No, she didn’t. And I don’t have it in my budget to pay an extra worker.”
“But Eileen told me you were shorthanded this summer because the guy you hired didn’t pan out.”
“Mark was also supposed to double as a camp counselor.” She waved toward the trailer. “And Sam doesn’t look like he’s… he doesn’t look particularly suited for the job, Caleb. He has a pretty bad limp,” she whispered, feeling her cheeks heat up again. “He might be able to head up the trail rides, but I can’t exactly see him taking campers on mountainous hikes or helping out with the obstacle course. Which means,” she said, cutting Caleb off when he tried to speak, “I have to fill my empty position with someone who can. Which means I can’t afford Sam.”
“But didn’t Eileen—” He held his hand up to stop himself. “No, I forgot, Eileen doesn’t tell you anything.” Caleb smiled. “Sam’s working for just room and board, Livy. And when he’s not tending the horses, he’ll do anything you ask him to—that he physically can, of course.”
Alarm bells started going off in her head, and Olivia glanced over her shoulder to see Sam leading a horse toward the barn. She stepped closer to Caleb, her obvious anger wiping the smile off his face. “Inglenook is not a halfway house, or a rehab center, or a place to hide out from… whatever. I have families here. And children. And you know I need to do background checks on every member of my staff.”
“It’s not like that, Livy,” he said, actually taking a step back. “You’ve got my word; Sam’s so clean he squeaks.”
“Then why is he willing to work for only room and board?”
“He… um…” Caleb sighed. “Sam and I have been buddies since we were five, Olivia. But he joined the military right out of high school, and I only saw him once over the last thirty years until he showed up on my doorstep a couple of weeks ago.”
“Then how can you give me your word that he’s not an alcoholic, or a convicted felon, or some pervert or something?”
“He’s not, I swear!” He darted a nervous glance toward the barn, then back at her. “We’ve been doing business together for what… eight or nine years? So you know me well enough to realize I understand your liability concerns when it comes to your guests. Look, I know Sam doesn’t drink—other than the occasional beer—and I trust him with my own grandchildren. Hell, my two-year-old grand-daughter thinks the guy was put on this earth for her entertainment alone.”
“Where has he been all those years, Caleb? What did Sam do in the military?”
“I can’t rightly answer that. I think he was special ops or CIA or something before he got busted up.” Caleb held up his hand when she tried to say something. “I do know he’s been out of the country most of that time. He stopped to see me about thirty years ago and said he’d give his right arm to move home to Maine. But then he just suddenly disappeared again a couple of weeks later.”
She touched his arm. “I can’t take the chance he might go crazy all of a sudden, Caleb. What if he has a flashback or something?”
“No, it’s not like that. Sam’s not shell-shocked or unstable. I think he’s just tired more than anything. And he’s still healing from whatever caused that limp.” Caleb glanced past her shoulder, his face suddenly smoothing in relief. “And your other employee seemed to size him up quickly enough and decide he was okay. Didn’t you see the look that passed between them?”
“I saw it.”
“It appeared to me as if they sort of… recognized each other. You know, like that band-of-brothers thing military men share? Please, couldn’t you just give Sam a chance? For me?”
“Is there a problem?” Mac asked—which explained Caleb’s look of relief.
“Livy’s just worried about my dropping Sam off here without her knowing anything about him. Especially because she didn’t get to do a background check on him. But I’ve given her my word he’s okay, which she’ll see for herself if she gives him a chance.”
“Would you excuse us a minute, Caleb?” Mac said with a slight bow, taking hold of her elbow and leading her away.
She pulled free but continued walking until they were several paces away and then turned. “I am quite capable of making my own decisions regarding Inglenook.”
He folded his arms over his chest. “I am well aware of that. I’m just wondering if you took the time to consult your gut on this particular decision.”
“Excuse me?”
“Did you not say that your gut told you there was something not right about your previous employee—even though you must have done a background check on him?”
Dammit; Mark was still haunting her.
“Which makes me curious, Olivia, as to what you felt when you shook Sam’s hand.”
She scowled, her eyes trained on his folded arms because she couldn’t lift her gaze to his. “I didn’t feel anything,” she muttered.
“Excuse me? What was that?” he asked, bending to see her eyes. “Did you say you felt nothing?”
She thrust out her chin. “What did you feel when you shook his hand?”
“I felt a guarded and very tired soul with a deeply wounded heart.”
“You read all that in a three-second handshake?”
“Sam is not a threat to Inglenook, Olivia,” he said quietly. “Believe me, if he were you would have at least felt something when he took your hand in his. No matter how skilled a person may be at hiding his true nature, inherent evil cannot be masked. Your guests will be completely safe with Sam. You, however, may not.”
“What do you mean?”
“You might not have felt anything when you shook his hand, but I certainly did.” He smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I believe your new employee was rather eager to meet you, b
ut he was equally determined to guard his emotions.” He canted his head. “You didn’t find it strange that he called you Olivia even though Caleb had introduced you as Livy?”
Was he for real? Mac couldn’t possibly be jealous. Could he?
Good Lord, Sam was old enough to be her father!
“So do I let him stay or not?” she growled.
Up went a brow. “I don’t believe that’s my decision to make.” He unfolded his arms and stepped closer, making Olivia have to tilt her head back in order to continue glaring at him. Only the look she saw in his eyes made her stop breathing.
“Are you planning to return my jacket anytime soon?” he asked quietly. “Or are you hoping I’ll make the decision for you and simply come… take it?”
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