“Yeah, that’s all I had.”
“Your bike? Your skis?”
“All the Bergen in-house brand,” he answered.
“How’d it hold up?”
“Great, that’s why I had it.”
Elle chuckled. “There’s the angle.”
“Bergen gear and equipment?” he asked.
“Yep, you’ve been testing it and making sure it held up under rugged conditions.”
“But I wasn’t.”
“No, Camden, you were. Maybe you didn’t know it, but you were.”
Damn! He might have left Colorado, left the only home he’d ever known, but he’d kept it with him. He’d purchased every piece of gear he owned from the sporting goods shop at the Bergen Resort in Switzerland. The resort he’d buzzed around for a decade, telling himself he was only going there to purchase the gear because he was familiar with it.
But could it have been more?
Could it have been that piece of him longing for home? Like Bodhi’s stuffed bear, Mr. Cuddles, was all that gear his safety, his connection, his comfort?
They continued around the lake.
“I’ve kind of blown your mind, haven’t I?” Elle asked.
“Even my boxer briefs are the Bergen Mountain Sports brand,” he added, everything in his life going sideways.
She chuckled. “I don’t know if we need to get that in-depth, but thanks for the info.”
Jesus! He’d just met this woman—his brother’s wife—and he’d just revealed his choice of underwear.
They rounded the bend, and the boathouse came into view with Jasper and Cadence parked on one of the benches, chatting away. The breeze lifted golden wisps of hair across her cheek, and the urge to tuck them behind her ear surged through him. And instantly, he wanted to be the man sitting beside her. He wasn’t jealous of his brother. It wasn’t that. It was clear the man was crazy about his wife, but he was jealous of anyone in Cadence’s orbit.
“So, you’re back…for just the summer?” Elle asked with a twist of suspicion in her tone.
He pulled his gaze from Cadence. “Yes, for Brennen and Abby’s wedding.”
“When’s your return flight back to Switzerland?”
He frowned. “Return flight?”
“You said you were only staying the summer. I need to know when you’re going back…for the piece I’m writing on you.”
“I didn’t book a return flight.”
He’d been so sure of finding Mountain Daisy, the thought hadn’t even crossed his mind.
“And you’re staying with Cadence?” Elle continued.
“Yeah, in the house next door.”
“And you’re also working with her.”
He could hear the wry twist to her words.
“Yes, it’s kind of a funny coincidence it worked out that way,” he answered carefully.
She was onto him. He’d read her travel guides. She saw everything. Observed everything. Her writing was infused with tiny idiosyncrasies of the people she met and the hidden characteristics of the places she’d visited.
“Do you believe in coincidences?” she asked.
That stopped him in his tracks.
“What do you mean?”
“You can either believe everything that happens in this life is completely random, or you can take the position that, sometimes, things fall into our path for a reason.”
What did he believe?
“Cadence is a good person, Camden. My cousin and I have grown close to her and to Bodhi. They’re easy to love.”
He watched the blond beauty seated next to his brother and swallowed past the lump in his throat. “I’m fond of them both.”
“I can tell. I think you’re good for her.”
He remained silent, not about to reveal their summer pact.
“She doesn’t let anyone help her, not really,” Elle continued. “She takes it all on and never asks for anything in return.”
That was his Daisy.
“She’s been very kind to me,” he answered, going for a benign response.
Cadence looked away from Jas and caught him watching her. She smiled and gave him a little wave. A quick hello. A quick, I see you, that sent his pulse racing.
Elle sighed. “I wouldn’t doubt her kindness. That’s what worries me.”
“Why would it worry you?”
Elle frowned. “She’s got some online pen pal. My cousin calls him her Man Find.”
“Man Find?”
“Yeah, like Cadence has found a man, but she knows very little about him, so she can’t actually find him.”
Jesus! If Elle only knew! Cadence’s Man Find was standing next to her.
“She’s mentioned this friend to me,” he said, treading lightly.
“I’m convinced he’s a total creeper,” Elle added.
That got his attention.
“Why would you say that?”
“She seems very taken with this person, but I worry he’s not who he says he is.”
“I thought he hadn’t said much of anything. You know…about his identity,” he replied, the muscles in his chest tightening.
“Well, whatever he’s said, it’s done something to her. She stares at his messages like she’s falling in love.”
Love?
Elle patted his arm. “I’m glad you’re here, Camden. I’m glad she’s got a friend close by—even if it is just for the summer.”
“I’m happy to help. She’s doing me quite a favor letting me crash in her rental unit.”
He had to play this smart.
“That’s right! Abby said you didn’t want to stay in any of the Bergen properties.”
“It’s not who I am.”
She held his gaze. “It’s exactly who you are.”
He shook his head.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” she said and pulled out a Bergen Enterprises envelope. “Here.”
“What’s this?” he asked.
“It’s for when you figure out who you are,” she said with another wry twist of her lips.
He opened the envelope and found two credit cards and a checkbook.
Access to his trust.
He went to hand it back. “I can’t accept this.”
Elle crossed her arms. “Are you refusing your pregnant sister-in-law, standing here incubating two humans—your nieces or nephews or a combination of the two?”
Christ! She pulled the pregnancy card. How the hell was he supposed to argue with that without looking like a total D-canoe?
“I don’t plan on touching any of the money, Elle.”
“Then what’s the harm in having it? It’s not like it would be doing anything different locked in a safe-deposit box?”
Christ! Elle was just as crafty as his grandmother. Both women could bend a situation to their whim in the blink of an eye.
“Fair enough,” he answered and slid the envelope into his pocket.
The same pocket containing Cadence’s sexy as hell panties.
A week ago, he’d fantasized of a life hidden away with Mountain Daisy. He’d wanted to remain the runaway heir and have the woman who’d pulled him from his exile.
Was it a coincidence that she’d led him here—straight into the heart of his family?
Could this be where he belonged?
The gut-wrenching sound of metal twisting and the heavy pound of his footsteps disappearing into the darkness told him the answer.
He removed his hand from his pocket.
The summer. That was all he had to give. That was as far as he could trust himself. And all he wanted to do was get through today, so he could hold Cadence in his arms tonight. Her scent. Her touch. He’d lose himself in her breathy cries and sweet muffled moans and forget that he was the runaway heir with each thrust of his cock, filling her, fucking her until he wasn’t Camden or Mac and she wasn’t Cadence or Daisy. Until they flew over the edge and were simply two lonely souls desperate for a sliver of comfort.
“Camden!”
>
He looked up to see Cadence coming toward him, smiling like he was enough.
That smile was his escape and his punishment.
She watched him closely. “Is everything okay?”
He pushed the dark thoughts away, letting in her light. “Yeah, we were just chatting about…”
What the hell was he supposed to say?
Nothing much. Just discussing you and how you may or may not be in love with me—the me that’s Mac. You know, your online BFF.
Christ! This had gotten convoluted.
Elle glanced over at him. “About how we’ll have to plan a time to get everyone together,” Elle said as the women embraced.
“Then I have great news,” Cadence began, glancing between them. “Jasper saw the cardboard delivery for the Bergen Cardboard Boat Regatta and suggested we get together tonight to help Bodhi with his design. I texted with Abby. Everyone’s coming to my place—well, our place tonight for a barbecue. Are you up for it, Cam?”
Fucking Cam.
No one had ever made his name sound sweeter.
The last thing he wanted was to be surrounded by his brothers, by the memories. Then he caught the caring glint in her eyes. That glimmer of hope that touched somewhere deep inside of him.
He slid his hand into his pocket, past the envelope, and brushed his fingertips across the lace of her G-string. They had the summer. With her by his side, he could make it through a barbecue with his brothers.
He met her gaze and smiled. “A barbecue sounds like a great idea.”
12
Cadence
Cadence reached across the patio table. “Pass me the glue stick, Abby.”
“I still can’t believe you brought a craft project to a barbecue,” Elle added, striking a match to light one of the outdoor candles as the sunset melted into the mountains to the west.
Cadence picked up the matches and lit two more candles with the scent of grilled hamburgers still in the air. She glanced over at her son, sitting in the grass next to the three Bergen brothers, their heads bent over a sheet of corrugated cardboard, plotting and planning Bodhi’s boat design with the assistance of an outdoor lantern in the waning light.
“Hush, Elle!” Abby replied. “Keep punching holes in those hearts.”
“I kind of resent you relegating me to the hole punching when you and Cadence get to use the glue sticks,” Elle answered, wielding the hole puncher like a Wild West bandit.
Cadence grinned at the women. It warmed her heart to have them here, but that familiar twinge of sadness lurked just below the surface.
Barbecues in the backyard with friends. Summer nights spent out on the patio, listening to the wind rustle through the aspen leaves.
This was the life she’d thought she’d have with Aaron.
She glued a tiny paper heart into the center of a larger one and handed it to Elle. “What are these things for again?”
Abby swirled her glue stick around the outline of the smaller heart. “For the joint bachelor and bachelorette party. Ray and Harriet are hosting it in their backyard and having it professionally catered and decorated. I should have guessed it, but Brennen’s grandparents are party planning machines. There’s really nothing for me to do, but I wanted to contribute something. So, I figured we could make a heart garland to hang on the pergola.”
Elle punched a hole in the heart and set it on the pile. “Do you have any other projects up your sleeve that you need Cadence and I to help out with? Because I may have hit my crafting limit with this,” she added with a wry grin.
“Yeah, you were worried there would be a ton to do with it coming up so quickly. How’s it going?” Cadence asked.
Abby sat back in her chair. “Really well. Like so well there’s hardly anything for me to worry about. We’re having the wedding up at the lodge at Bergen Mountain, and Brennen and I went up this morning to meet with the event coordinator. Everyone there is so excited for a Bergen wedding. Plus, they cater and plan so many events that the last thing I’d want to do is ask them to reinvent the wheel.” She glanced over at the men. “And I’ve never dreamed of an elaborate wedding. All I want is to be Brennen’s wife.”
Cadence glued another heart as the image of Aaron, smiling at her from the altar flashed before her eyes.
Abby glanced over at the men then lowered her voice. “How’s it going with your bobblehead?”
“Bobblehead?” Elle repeated.
Cadence tucked Aaron’s memory away. “It’s what I called Camden when he first arrived. He basically grunted and nodded, so I called him a brooding Bergen bobblehead.”
“That’s a good one,” Elle replied.
“And?” Abby pressed.
Cadence looked over at the men and found Bodhi, leaning his head on Cam’s shoulder. “And not so bobble-heady anymore. He taught Bodhi how to ride his bike without training wheels yesterday.”
Elle took a tortilla chip from the bowl on the table. “So, not only are you working with him, you’re also hanging out with him?”
Hanging out with him. Having mind-blowing orgasms. Sneaking in a little oral before work.
Cadence felt her cheeks heat. “Yeah, we’re hanging out a bit.”
“Is that why you’re not wearing your necklace?” Abby asked gently.
Cadence’s hand went to her neck. She hadn’t put it back on since…
Since the night of her naughty redirection lesson.
“I take it off for camp. We’re so active, playing games and taking the canoes out on the lake, I didn’t want to lose it.”
The cousins shared a look.
“Camden’s just a friend,” she added.
A friend with the best kind of benefits—but she needed to quash whatever plans her friends were cooking up.
“And your online creeper boyfriend doesn’t mind a hot mountain man living next door?” Elle asked.
Cadence shook her head. “Mountain Mac isn’t my boyfriend. He’s just a friend, too.”
“A friend who you know nothing about,” Elle added.
Cadence glued another heart. “I know enough, but I haven’t heard from him much lately.”
Elle popped another chip into her mouth. “The police probably found all the bodies he has buried in his backyard or his mother stopped paying for his cellphone.”
Cadence shook her head but stayed silent. It wasn’t that. Whoever Mountain Mac was, this person had helped her—had shown her real kindness.
“You’re terrible, Elle!” Abby said, chucking a paper heart at her cousin.
Elle snagged it and clicked the hole puncher. “It’s my writer’s brain. This morning, I had a whole story going in my head about the barista at my coffee shop. Long story, short: she’s a dominatrix on the down-low when she’s not whipping up nonfat decaf fraps.”
Cadence laughed then stole another glance at Camden, catching him ruffle Bodhi’s hair. He was good with kids. Calm during their morning rescue. Sweet to a little girl with a scraped knee this afternoon. The fierce bearded mountain man who’d mowed down the gate to Ray and Harriet’s home had been replaced with a gentle, handsome giant who, at this very moment, had her panties in his pocket.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, Elle, but there’s no story here,” she answered, focusing far too intently on her glue stick application.
“Oh, Cadence Lowry, there’s always a story. Everyone has a secret life—probably even that barista,” Elle added.
Elle had traveled the world as a writer. Met people from all over the globe and brought their stories to life. She was a keen observer, and if anyone was going to suss out the sexy times summer pact she had with Camden, it would be Elle.
Cadence doubled her focus on the glue stick. “You know whose lives I’d be interested in learning more about?” she began, shifting the conversation.
Abby leaned in. “Who?”
“Glenna and Gertrude’s.”
Elle punched a hole into a heart then added it to the pile. “The old ladies who used to
live in the houses?”
“Yeah, they lived here for their entire adult lives, and they’ve got all sorts of strange antiques and little knickknacks.”
Elle took another tortilla chip. “My schedule is pretty crazy. I leave tomorrow for New York to meet with my agent, but one of these days, I’d love to go through the houses with you. I did a whole piece on antiquing with a well-respected appraiser a few years ago. If we find anything good, we can always run it by her.”
“That would be great,” Cadence answered.
“What would be great?” Brennen asked, sitting down next to Abby as Jasper settled in next to Elle and Bodhi plopped down on the loveseat.
“Sit with me and Mommy, Camden!” Bodhi called, scooting in closer to her to make room for the man.
Camden maneuvered his large frame onto the loveseat with Bodhi squeezed in between them. He rested his arm across the back, giving Bodhi a little more room and allowing his fingertips to brush against her neck. The sensation sent a shiver down her spine that went straight to her core. His hidden touch sent a sweet buzz of anticipation through her body at the thought of his hands gripping her hips, his lips kissing a trail down her jawline, and his perfect cock buried deep inside her.
What would they do tonight?
She released a shaky breath.
What wouldn’t they do tonight?
“Hey,” he said to her, the candlelight framing his face in a warm glow.
“Hey,” she echoed as the breath caught in her throat when his hand found the end of her braid, and he twisted his fingers in her hair.
Thanks to the blanket of darkness, no one could see this covert exchange. This tiny touch that sent her pulse racing.
“We were discussing Cadence’s houses and the old ladies who used to live here. They left all sorts of little trinkets and treasures,” Abby replied, cuddling into her fiancé.
Brennen wrapped his arm around her. “Speaking of the houses, are you still on the hunt for those daisy doorknobs?”
“I am. I only need one more set,” she answered, working hard to keep her tone even as Camden continued twisting her hair.
“I might have a lead for you. I was up visiting with a group on the land my family owns about ten miles away from Bergen Mountain. We’re going to allow them to use it for a charity camping event. It’s pretty rugged out there—not much more than a whole lotta nature and an old cabin.”
Man Find (Bergen Brothers Book 3) Page 15