The Rockwell Legacy (Books 1-3)

Chapter 8-2

Nicole swept her arm at the wide lawn they were crossing. “We could hold tai chi classes on this big lawn here.”

He laughed, imagining Max’s reaction to something so different from the games of tag and snowball fights that usually took place on that lawn.

Nicole shot him an irritated glance. “Have you ever tried tai chi? It might really help with your stress level.”

“I have my stress handled, thanks.“

“Really? What’s your favorite stress management technique?”

He gave her a smoldering look guaranteed to get under her skin. “I’m not sure we know each other well enough yet.”

Even though her cheeks flushed, she lifted her chin and didn’t back down. From what he knew of Nicole so far, that spunkiness was one of her most appealing qualities. She was no pushover; no wonder she handled Max so well. “Whatever it is, it’s not working. You freaked out over a deer head. A plastic one.”

“Hey, I take offense at that. You could at least call him by his name. Poor Benji.”

She burst out laughing, a sound of such delight that a chill went up his spine. He shook it off.

“But for your information, I have no problem with tai chi. I like it. I think this is a perfect spot for it, at least in the summer. In the winter, we could make space in the great room.”

He squinted at the lodge, finding it easy to picture a group of slow-moving tai chi practitioners going through their moves. When he turned her way, he caught her looking at him in surprise.

“I assumed you wouldn’t be interested in that sort of thing.”

“What sort of thing?”

“Tai chi, yoga, stuff that doesn’t involve skis or a four-wheeler or a hunting rifle.”

He gave her a mock-scolding shake of his head. “Haven’t you heard my reputation for being a rebel?” He bent over her, bringing his face within inches of hers. “I decide for myself if I like something or not. I don’t let other people tell me.”

This close, he caught a whiff of her scent, nothing but fresh skin and clean lavender soap. Her pupils expanded, pools of black against clear blue. A pulse point beat in her throat. He felt as if he were looking through a macro camera lens in which he could see everything with perfect clarity.

His gaze dropped to her lips. Their shape was full and curved, tempting as a juicy summer peach. Those lips said something about her, that she wasn’t always guarded and watchful. She had another side, a side filled with laughter and joy.

And why was he looking at her lips again?

She pressed them together, as if she was trying to keep him from seeing something. Maybe something he’d already seen, or maybe not.

He realized he was being rude, looking at her so closely. Forcing his gaze away, he uncapped his thermos for a long swallow of coffee. He didn’t want to blow this opportunity to learn more about Nicole, or scare her off any more than he already had.

Capping his thermos, he took on a more businesslike tone. “Very interesting ideas so far. I like it. What else do you want to show me? Or is it my turn to show you a few things?”

“Your turn,” she said, wetting her lips. Had she noticed the hum of electricity between them too? With any other woman, he might have cupped her face in his hand, brushed his lips across hers, slid his thumb across the tender skin of her cheek.

Bad idea. This unwelcome attraction was the last thing he needed. He was going to ignore it until it went away.

“I used to be the best tour guide at this place,” he said. “It was my job to show the guests around. I know all the best views. I know where a secret hidden patch of wild strawberries is. We could bring a BB gun with us, shoot some plastic squirrels.”

He winked at her to chase away the residual s****l tension that still hung between them.

She laughed. “You really know how to push my buttons, don’t you?”

He smiled, a little strained, because the phrase made him think of other, more inappropriate buttons. “If you ask Max, that’s my specialty. Don’t worry, it’s too early to make trouble. I’m all about peace and happiness this morning. Just follow me.”

Nicole had to face facts—when Kai turned on the charm, he was a lot of fun to be with. The rest of their day together passed without any more conflicts or awkward moments. He guided her all over the property, showing off his favorite trails and secret spots. A meadow dotted with scarlet wildflowers. An overlook with a stunning view of the ski lifts going up Eagle Mountain. The sweetest wild strawberries she’d ever tasted.

When he wasn’t interrogating her, Kai was so easy to talk to, as if he was genuinely interested in hearing her ideas and thoughts.

And very, very easy on the eyes, even though she worked hard to block that out.

She told him about the special ed camp, the artists’ retreat, the meditation sessions she imagined. He listened with interest, even threw in some ideas of his own. Corporate retreats. Trust-building exercises in the woods.

Then, remembering that she was supposed to talk about expensive ideas, she threw out her idea of expanding the lodge’s tiny sauna into a full-service spa with private steam rooms and massage therapists, maybe a Turkish bath.

“You’re talking major renovations,” he said, finally balking.

“Yes, but think of how many wealthy people would come. Once they’re here, they’ll spend more money on things like branded Rocky Peak room fragrance and exclusive Rocky Peak bathrobes. It’s a huge investment, but sometimes you have to spend money to make money.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. My very, extremely, entirely open mind…that never thought I’d see the day a spa came to Rocky Peak,” he ended in a mutter.

She grinned. “Save the freakout for tomorrow. You promised.”

“I did. Carry on. What’s next, aromatherapy?”

“Now that you mention it…”

It was almost shocking how much she enjoyed his company. Now that he’d dropped his automatic suspicion of her, his attitude was completely different. He thoughtfully held branches away from her face as they walked. He listened carefully to what she said, and asked questions that proved he was paying attention.

Don’t let a sexy man distract you, she kept telling herself. Just because he’s hot and smart and interesting doesn’t mean he’s on your side.

They stopped for a quick picnic lunch near a waterfall on the property, one of her favorite spots. “It’s probably out of the question, but I’d love to put a gazebo out here,” she told him. “A meditation gazebo, a no-talking zone where you have to maintain silence.”

“Is that some kind of hint?” he joked as he pulled sandwiches from the rucksack he’d brought. “You can meditate, I’ll stick with my salami on rye. Besides, I have more questions for you. There’s so much we haven’t covered. Like what’s better, mayo or mustard? Rye or sourdough? Chips or pickle?”

So much for silence—they talked all through lunch about everything from favorite books and movies to random pet peeves—they both hated goofy cell phone ringtones. She told him a few crazy stories about life with Birdie and he talked about his childhood running wild at the lodge with Griffin, the twins and little Gracie.

And then, when she was at her most relaxed, he snuck in a question that took her completely off guard.

“So this engagement you mentioned, the one that ended. I’ve been wondering. What’d the guy do wrong?”

She nearly choked on her last bite of roast beef sandwich. “Why do you assume it was his fault?”

“Well, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, of course, but—” They both laughed, but that didn’t distract him. He kept his gaze fixed on her, waiting for her answer. His expression was friendly, his smile warm. She wanted to share something with him, something real and personal. And that was…possibly dangerous.

She tucked her hands in the pockets of her down vest, digging her fingernails into her palms to remind herself not to reveal too much. “We disagreed about where to live,” she finally said.

“That’s it? Sounds like a real love match.”

“Do those even exist anymore?”

“You have a point there.” He gave her a wry smile. “Just look at us Rockwells. Not a single one of the next generation has gotten married and spawned.”

“You’re still young.”

“I’m thirty-two. Seems like I would have felt the urge before now if it was going to happen.”

“Maybe. Not necessarily. I wasn’t thinking about marriage when I met Roger.” She pressed her lips together as soon as the name slipped out. She hadn’t intended to reveal that much, but she really wasn’t very good at keeping secrets.

Maybe it didn’t matter. This was just a friendly conversation, no need to be so paranoid.

He didn’t seem to notice. “So what changed your mind about the M word?”

“I was getting my home health aide certification. It was taking me a while to finish because I had other commitments.” Commitments named Birdie. “I met Roger when I fell asleep studying at a coffee shop near his office. Someone tried to steal my wallet while I slept and he stopped them, then woke me up. He was very sweet and worried about me. He asked for my number so he could check up on me. And that was it. I guess it felt nice to be the damsel in distress.”

“I take it back. That is a very romantic story.”

Of course, she’d left out a few details. Roger had told his driver to take her home, but she didn’t have a home at that point. All her money went to pay for Birdie’s housing and care. She’d missed too many rent payments and gotten evicted, so she was temporarily crashing with a friend until she found another place. Roger had offered her the guesthouse on his Queen Anne property. Then he’d shown up one night at her door, with a bag of Chinese food, and things had proceeded from there.

None of which she was going to tell Kai.

“Personally, I like your parents’ version of romance better,” she told him. “Married for decades, five kids, creating this amazing place to share with the world…” She swept her hand in a circle to indicate the lodge, the view, the wilderness. At the end of her motion, her hand brushed against his side. Even through his thick wool sweater, she felt the hard contours of his muscles.

She snatched her hand away.

“Sorry,” she murmured. “Didn’t mean to attack you with my high opinion of your parents.”

“Hey, I appreciate it.” Reaching out, he captured her hand and interlaced his fingers with hers for a brief moment, then released them. “But not everything is how it seems.”

His cryptic comment barely registered as a swarm of butterflies invaded her stomach. It was such a simple gesture, that short hand-hold, but it sent a spear of pure desire through her.

She cast around for a distraction. “Has Max ever dated anyone since then?”

“You’re asking the wrong guy.” Kai shot her an ironic look. “I haven’t been here, as you pointed out to me.”

Cheeks heating, she laughed. “Sorry about that. I swear I’m usually only confrontational when…” when she had to be, for Birdie’s sake, “on special occasions,” she finished.

“I’ll consider it a badge of honor, then.” He popped a wild strawberry in his mouth and lay back, hands cupped behind his head. His eyes closed as he savored the berry. She noticed the molding of his cheekbones, the scar near his mouth, the dark grain of scruff covering his stubborn chin. He was one intensely attractive man.

She asked the question that had been nagging at her ever since he came back. “Why did you stay away for so long, Kai? I know Max can be a handful, but this place…it’s so beautiful.” She looked out at the wisps of mist still lurking in the deepest part of the valley, the thick stands of evergreen, the smooth slopes of the ridge. As always, it took her breath away.

Her question seemed to catch him off guard. He sat up, frowning at the view and propped himself on his elbows. “I had reasons.”

Reasons he didn’t want to talk about, obviously. Fine—it wasn’t really her business.

Except that maybe it was. Felicity would say that it was. She’d say, ‘learn whatever you can. Maybe it will come in handy.’ Be a spy.

“Did you miss it here when you were gone?”

His jaw flexed. “Yeah,” he said curtly, then fell silent.

He’d probably decided not to trust her, which was smart. If he had any clue about her secret mission here, he’d never trust her again.

But then he continued. “I left because Max and I had a bad fight. That happened all the time—basically I went through every day looking for a fight back then. At school, at home, wherever I could find it. But this one was different.”

“What was it about?” she asked softly.

He was silent for a long time, his jaw working. “It had to do with my mom and the accident.”

She held herself very still, torn between wanting to know more and hoping he’d keep his secrets to himself so she wouldn’t have to report anything to Felicity.

“Anyway, that’s all in the past. Max and I get along just fine now. Probably because we keep it simple. We avoid all topics that might get us fired up.” He gave her that devastating one-sided smile, the one that always snuck behind her defenses.

And right into her heart, if she didn’t watch out.

“Well, I’m glad. He’s been great to me, very kind and welcoming. And I can tell he’s happy you’re back, even though he never says things like that straight out. You have to read between the grumbles.”

He lifted one eyebrow at her. “Is this your Max-Whispering skill in action?”

Something about his tone of voice rubbed her wrong. “I never said I was the Max-Whisperer. That came from Gracie. I’m just a nurse aide doing her job.”

He gave a short nod. She got the impression that he wanted to say more, but was holding himself back. “Doing it well, too.”

And for the first time that day, an awkward silence fell between them.

Finally, with a powerful movement, he got to his feet. “Should we head back? It’s getting close to dinnertime. You probably want to walk me through all the ways you want to change the menu. And just so you know, right from the start, the venison chili is going nowhere. I will put my foot down if you try to put tofu in it instead.”

So they were back to joking around. Good. “Don’t think in terms of replacing,” she said lightly. “Think in terms of adding. Would it kill you guys to have fish on the menu, for instance?”

He hoisted his rucksack onto his back. “Around here all we catch is the occasional trout. But you’re welcome to try.”

“Hey, I only suggested fish because you were about to throw a tantrum over tofu. But we can stick with the tofu if you insist.”

“Sneaky, lady. I’ll see your tofu chili and raise you a wild turkey burger. Now that I can probably live with.”

“Wild turkeys? Is there a BB gun involved?”

“You know absolutely nothing about guns, do you?”

She followed him up the footpath to the trail. “Kinda hoping to keep it that way.”

They spent the rest of the hike back to the lodge bantering over menu items.

When she climbed into bed that night, she was wildly torn in two very different directions. One direction led right toward Kai, who was possibly the most attractive man she’d ever known—and not just physically. She sensed a lot of layers behind those storm-green eyes. She wanted to know more about him, every part of him, inside and out.

But that would require him knowing more about her. And she couldn’t risk that.

There wasn’t really a choice. If she had to choose between the lure of a sexy man and her responsibility to Birdie, Birdie would always come first.