Distracted. She didn’t realize guys like Eddie had a conscience. Did it mean she’d begun to get through to him after all?
As she wandered away from the house toward the tree line, the beauty of the place struck her. She didn’t consider herself a big outdoorsy woman—she must’ve driven by the place thousands of times, but never once had she explored beyond what was visible from the road—but the property really was quite pretty. A creek curved over the land like a ribbon, sparkling in the sunlight. Summer had coaxed every color of the rainbow, and a carpet of green, red, and yellow grasses lined its banks, dotted with blue, pink, purple, and white Sierra wildflowers. Scattered pine trees in a deep green flanked the water on either side, and the mountains rose in the far distance, feeling ancient and wise. Thin veins of white dappled a few of the peaks—snow that had yet to melt.
The closer she got to the water, the more distant the construction became. Instead of the sounds of sawing and shouts, she heard only the lazy splash of slow-moving creek water, the sound of tall summer grasses swaying, birds chirping. She might not’ve been a nature girl, but even she couldn’t deny how idyllic it all was. She stopped to take a moment, shutting her eyes and inhaling deeply. Feeling the sun on her face was both the simplest and the most profound of pleasures.
“Lovely, huh?”
Her breath caught. Eddie’s voice was a low rasp, and her skin beaded at the sound of it. Bracing herself, she ope
ned her eyes. He’d appeared next to her, standing in his jeans, dirt-smudged T-shirt, and old work boots, looking as rugged as the land. Momentarily speechless, she stood there, inadvertently sharing this quiet with him. She had the odd thought that the blood in her veins felt as enlivened as that babbling water.
She cleared her throat, looking away to stare at the creek instead. “It is. ”
“And you’re here to tell me to stop. ”
“I am. ”
“You’re here to tell me if we develop any further we’ll be invaded by people come to cut all the flowers and fish out the creek. ”
“That’s about the size of it. ”
“I tried, Laura. ” He took off his ball cap, scraped his hand through his hair, then adjusted it back on his head. Despite the shade it provided, sun marked his face, in faint lines around his eyes and mouth. He’d clearly spent a lot of time outdoors, squinting and smiling—smiles that, lately, were rarely directed at her.
She glanced away, gathering herself. “Not very hard, I imagine. ”
“I measured and remeasured the property line. I even looked into rules about building near conservancy land. I’m listening, Laura. What else do you want me to do?”
That took her aback. She finally looked, really looked him in the eyes. They were a sparkling blue in the sunlight, looking even bluer for his tanned skin and brown hair. In that instant, her traitorous mind came up with one answer. Kiss me.
“I—” She gathered herself, and standing rigidly upright, looked away. “I’ve got news, Eddie. Big news. ”
“I’m all ears. ”
“I got a call earlier. From the History Network. ”
He looked momentarily baffled. “You mean, like on cable TV?”
“Yes, you know, the History Network. ‘Bringing the past to life,’ that one?” This was her big moment, the most success she’d had since losing her job, and she found she wanted it—needed it—more than ever.
“Hey, cool. What’d they want?” Something about the surprise on his face was deeply gratifying.
“They found out about all the Buck Larsen stuff,” she said, referring to the letters Sorrow had found, revealing the secret affair between their ancestor and one of the most famous figures from California history. “They’re talking about doing a documentary on the town. ”
There was nothing like the interest of a television network to feel like validation. She’d been working her fingers to the bone—it was what the Baileys did—and her efforts had brought their family business to the brink of real success. Finally, she’d have her chance to make up for her past failures. She could prove to herself, prove to the world, just how talented she could be.
“That’s great news,” he said, sounding actually genuine. “Sorrow might’ve found those letters, but the rest is all you, you know that, right?”
Taken aback, she stammered, “I…yeah…thanks. ”
“Seriously, Laura, congrats. I hope Bear understands what he has in you. ”
The unexpected warmth broke down a wall she’d had erected since junior high. No longer able to monitor her excitement, she found herself revealing more. “We’ve been booked solid ever since the call. Film types are flying out from LA, if you can believe it. Dad even let us hire someone to help around the place. We’re on the brink of something real, with the lodge, I mean. We’re so close to becoming something big, or at least, you know, bigger than just a run-down family operation. This would really put us on the map. So now you really do have a reason to call it off with Fairview. ”
“That’s all awesome,” he said, but his voice sounded suddenly strained. “I’m excited for you. ” He grew quiet and stared at the ground, kicking at a rock.
If he was so excited, then why couldn’t he look her in the eye? She pressed him. “But?”
“But I don’t see how it affects this project. ”