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Kami knew the physio appointment was going to be hell. Falling in the parking lot had caused a lot of pain and swelling, and her leg had already been sore because she’d been trying to look strong in front of Rayce.
It shouldn’t matter what he thought. He’d made it clear when she was a teen that he didn’t think much of her. Time to stop trying so hard to pretend she was strong.
Dan Wilding entered the small space and greeted her without the giddiness from the other day. Hopefully, he’d got it out of his system. They exchanged small talk until he touched her leg. “What the hell did you do? You should know better than to be twisting this knee.” His voice snapped at her and she closed her eyes to concentrate on breathing and not shouting back.
She didn’t need a battle, she only wanted her knee to feel better.
As if sensing her reaction, the physiotherapist patted her leg gently. “Sorry. I hate seeing my patients in pain. Let’s see if I can ease the discomfort for you.”
Better, but she kept her eyes closed, discouraging conversation. Of course, it didn’t work. None of her usual defenses seemed to work in this town.
The cool gel slathered on her knee. “I hear you’re a native of Bloo Moose. This town is sure proud of you.” She made a noise she hoped he wouldn’t take as encouragement. “I moved here a few months ago, myself. I wanted to run my own place, and I knew that wouldn’t happen for years and years in the city. The town’s growing on me. Might even have to try fishing one day.”
Kami wanted to stay silent, wanted to shut out the world for a while while he moved the ultrasound over her knee, but Carolina would be appalled if she didn’t keep up her end of a conversation. “Talk to Gage over at LaChance Lodge. He’s the expert and he’ll steer you right.”
“That LaChance family seems to be everywhere in this town.”
They were. A hard-working, well-liked family. She hadn’t seen either of Rayce’s brothers or his sister yet. Nor their parents. Wasn’t ready to face them. She’d have to change that. If she was going to stay in Bloo Moose, she had to deal with Rayce, risk running into him.
His family had absorbed her into their midst all those years ago, they’d been kind and generous. Loving. Her heart ached to see them all again, so she would. Maybe even head to the Lodge after visiting the lot.
If she planned it, she couldn’t be thrown off stride like she’d been the previous day. Without the stress of seeing Rayce, the news about Freaky Fan and then her father might not have bothered her as much.
All around, it had been a crappy day.
Not in comparison to the day she’d found her mom at the bottom of those hotel stairs. That image haunted her dreams every night and often during the day as well. Why had Carolina tried to use the stairs? The elevators were right there and in perfect working order.
In all the years since the operation, Carolina had been afraid to try walking. She’d been content with her chair, told Kami she felt less conspicuous with a blanket covering her lower half.
Thanks to tennis, Kami had been able to do a lot for her mom, but she hadn’t been able to give her that confidence, hadn’t been able to talk her into trying a prosthesis or using a set of braces. Hadn’t even been able to talk her into watching many of her matches live.
They hadn’t been able to get a ground-level suite that tournament, some mixup in the booking. Kami had made sure the elevator buttons were accessible, and the manager had assured her there’d been no malfunctions. Yet Carolina had wheeled herself into the stairwell and tried to walk down the stairs.
For months, Kami had gone over the scenario every way she could think, but she couldn’t convince herself her mom had tried to walk.
There’d been zero evidence of foul play. No one had forced their way into the hotel suite. No key card had been used to open the door, it had been opened from the inside. The police had closed the case and implied maybe Carolina had a death wish. Or had been hallucinating because of some reaction to the medications she’d taken.
So many questions and no answers.
The door to the treatment room swung open and when Dan walked in, Kami realized she’d been so lost in the memories she hadn’t even heard him leave after setting up the TENS machine. Bloo Moose was making her crazy.
When the treatment was completed, Dan smiled at her. “That’s all for today. See you in a couple more days?”
She nodded. After his initial reaction to her swollen knee, he’d been professional.
“If you let me take care of you Kami, we’ll have you fixed up in no time.”
That almost got a laugh out of her. There was so much more wrong with her than her knee, it might take just shy of forever for her to fix it all.
Steeling herself for the next encounter, Kami drove out to her lot and pulled up alongside the ditch. Over the last day and a half, a miracle had taken place. Awed by the progress, Kami used her cane and pulled herself out of the car and walked around it. Leaning back to rest on the car took some of the pressure off her leg and she tried to place her buildings and courts on the lot.
She wasn’t surprised when Rayce spotted her and moved her way. His easy gait showed no sign of stress or tension. Apparently, she had enough for both of them.
“Looking good, isn’t it?”
Yes, he was. And he hadn’t meant that at all, but her eyes couldn’t keep off him. Sexy jerk. Although, even she had been able to see the true remorse when he’d heard about her mom.
Tearing her eyes away from his jeans and work boots, she looked back at the lot. “It is.” She desperately wanted to cross the ditch and walk the area, let her land seep into the soles of her feet, and fill her up.
“We’ll have the road smoothed out by tomorrow. You should be able to drive your car in and get a closer look.”
Was he reading her thoughts, or was her yearning so obvious? Neither choice was great. She needed to work on those shields. Instead of responding, she nodded and kept studying the land. Her heart pounded against her ribs, but she kept her face neutral.
“I’d like to go over your plans with you at some point. Claude’s got all he needs on the foundation, but there are a few things I’d like to clear up before my crews start working on the interiors. That work for you?”
Not even for a second. “Of course.” Polite. Not quite friendly, but close enough. Time for a graceful exit before she made a fool of herself somehow.
Kami pushed off the car and planted her cane on the ground just as one of the machines made a noise like all the cats in the world were being tortured at the same time. The screeching threw her off balance and her cane slipped in the gravel. Her knee wobbled, and she started down.
Rayce’s hands grabbed her and pulled her up before she could land on her butt and before her knee finished twisting itself into knots. He hauled her up against him and held her firmly in place.
They still fit.
It was a ridiculous thought, but she couldn’t help it. They fit perfectly together, their bodies melding like they were made for each other. His hard arms clamped around her, made her feel safe. She wanted nothing more than to cuddle into his heat and warmth, snuggle into that muscled chest.
And the poor man was only rescuing her. Again. God. She had to stop the weakness. It was always—always—exacerbated around this man. No wonder he’d not wanted her then. She’d had nothing but needs, had nothing of her own to give.
Like now.
Forcing herself to not cling, she shoved away from his chest. No use going for graceful now. His arms released immediately, with no hint of reluctance. “Sorry about that. I didn’t expect the noise.” She sounded stiff and angry.
“No problem, Kami. Here you go.”
He handed her the cane. Again. Damaged. She was tired of being damaged goods.
She nodded her thanks and turned slowly to move around the car. Her knee was a bit shaky, but it didn’t collapse. Progress.
Rayce moved with her, hands ready to catch her if she fell again. She concentrated on the uneven ground and kept her thoughts and her eyes away from him.
When they approached the door, he moved ahead to open it for her, then held her arm as she eased in. She knew she should have shrugged him off, but it would have taken too much effort. And the zing his touch always generated made it hard enough not to lean in, never mind push away.
Once she was settled with her cane in the passenger seat, Kami reached to pull the door closed, but Rayce held it steady for a moment before moving to squat beside her. Without looking, she knew those soft chocolate eyes were burning into hers. He’d never ignored a wounded animal in his life.
Which explained his attraction years back, as well as his concern now.
And for once, just once, she wanted someone to be attracted to her because she was a woman. Not a wounded, lonely child, not a potential income, not a professional athlete, not a broken creature.
“I need to go, Rayce.”
“Important meetings to attend?” She ignored his sarcasm and stared straight ahead. Warm breath from his sigh brushed over her hand. “Sorry. How’s the knee?”
“Fine.”
Another sigh. “Kami, I want to be sure you’re not hurt.”
Of course he did. Rescuer. Protector. It was a driving need with him, always had been. “I’m fine.” Kami turned the key and started the car. Rayce stayed where he was for several moments, but then stood up and softly closed the car door. She had to remember that no one had ever hurt her like Rayce LaChance. No one.
Kami drove back to the motel and parked in front of her door, but couldn’t drag up the energy to go inside. Depressing place. Although that could be because she was the resident. At the moment, she couldn’t think of anyone more depressing than her. Carolina would be pulling out buckets of tough love phrases right now, telling her to snap out of the funk and make some positive choices.
Her mom had hated it when Kami had shut herself off and had almost always been able to tease her into a better mood. Except when Rayce had dumped her.
Lord, she was sitting here pouting about an event over a decade old when she was on the verge of doing something wonderful and positive for kids in the area. Time to get over it.
Or at least pretend to be over it.
Positive thinking. Time to find a house to lease. There were always people in the area ready to rent out their places during the tourist seasons. Maybe she could find someone willing to do it now. Give her time to make a decision about a permanent place. On the water with a long dock reaching into the lake. Wrap around deck. Balconies off the bedrooms. Walls of windows to take the lake and bring it right inside. A dog or two bounding around, making it a home.
Even Bloo Moose had to have an online realty site. She’d check it out while she iced her knee.
Feeling better, Kami pushed out of the car and hobbled to the door. The morning had taken a lot out of her knee, but the ice would help.
“Hey there, brat.”
The voice had Kami whirling around, holding up her cane in defense. Freaky Fan? Her father? Another nutcase?
When her leg stumbled, she was swept up into strong arms and a familiar chuckle. “Falling for me, are you, Kami? Always knew you’d come to your senses.”
Gage LaChance. Rayce’s older brother. He hauled her into his strength, then twirled her around and around before putting her on her feet and holding her steady.
Laughing, she looked up into the warm, almost-black eyes. While Gage was taller than the twins, there was no doubt they were brothers. Dark, wavy hair, features etched out of the mountains and drool-worthy bodies. Gorgeous.
“It’s good to see you, Gage.” Her voice wobbled, and he pulled her in for another hug.
“Good to see you too, brat. I’m so damn sorry to hear about Carolina. She was the best. You should have called us. We’d have been there for you. All of us.”
Even Rayce. Probably. They’d all loved Carolina, and she’d loved them right back. Gage was right. She should have called, but she’d been too broken, too shocked. Having her heart shatter had been beyond something she could cope with. Especially when she’d never got over the heartbreak of Rayce. Wondering how much he knew, Kami nodded into Gage’s chest. “I know.”
They stood like that for several minutes while she pulled herself together. When she started to straighten, Gage stepped back, picked up her cane, and handed it to her. “Okay, start packing.”
What? “Trying to run me out of town, too?”
His eyes hardened. “Someone giving you a hard time? Who?”
She shook her head and waited. Why didn’t he want her in Bloo Moose? As if reading her thoughts, Gage slung his arm over her shoulder and squeezed. “A soulless motel, Kami? Really? You’re welcome at the Lodge. Any time. Every time.”
Tears filled her eyes, but didn’t fall as she leaned into him. “I’ve missed you, Gage.”
His laugh warmed her. “Me too, kid, but you sure have a funny way of showing it. I’ve got a cabin all set up for you at the Lodge. No arguments. It’s lonely out there with everyone else mostly moved out.”
Telling her that Rayce didn’t live out on the Lodge property anymore.
“Thanks, Gage.”
“No problem. I’ll earn myself a ton of money charging the locals for glimpses of our local tennis star. Can you imagine how much I can charge for the cabin after people find out you stayed there?”
Laughing at the ridiculous thought, Kami let Gage lead her into the motel room to pack.
Rayce fumed as he drove away from the motel. Gage and Kami? How? When?
Why?
He’d driven to the motel to dig, to find out more. And had seen them in an embrace. A long one. Then another one.
Rage had poured through him until he’d wanted to tear his brother apart and then claim Kami for his own.
Dumbass.
He’d given up all rights to her when he’d walked away. If she wanted to be with Gage, she could.
He’d have to move. Leave the only place he’d ever wanted to live.
Better than seeing them together.
Rayce turned the truck toward his house, then changed his mind and headed out to the highway. He’d probably cut off a limb if he tried to work on the house. Driving through his mountains would soothe him.
Hell.
Gage and Kami.
They’d always liked each other. Everyone liked Kami. And women fawned all over his brother. The man went through women like they were candy. None of them seemed to mind.
Kami wasn’t a damn breath mint. She was worth more than that and he couldn’t let Gage screw with her.
After driving for another twenty minutes to ensure he wouldn’t kill anyone, Rayce turned the truck and headed north toward the Lodge. It was between seasons, so he wasn’t surprised to find the parking lot empty. He pulled up close to the sprawling log building that housed the home he’d grown up in, along with the store, rental offices, and storage rooms.
Gage’s truck sat beside the back door and Rayce headed that way, wondering if his brother had taken Kami back to the Lodge. And what they might be doing at that moment.
Hurrying his steps, he rounded the corner to where the deck looked over the lake. No one. The back door was locked, and he was pulling out his key when he heard the clanking from the boathouse.
Perfect. He could throw the bastard in the lake to cool him off.
Stomping down the slope, Rayce threw open the door to find his brother rifling in one of his bazillion toolboxes. His current project, a twenty-foot fishing boat, had most of the hull complete. Gage pulled out a chisel and looked up to nod at Rayce, then headed over to the hull. “What’s up? You look pissed.”
No kidding. “You leave her alone.” Shit. Hadn’t meant to say that, well, certainly hadn’t meant to lead with that.
Gage froze for a few moments, then looked up, face carefully blank. “You want to elaborate on that?”
Hell, no.
They faced off for a long minute before Rayce cracked. “She’s vulnerable.”
A raised eyebrow was his brother’s only response.
Rayce threw up his hands and paced the walkways around the boat. “She doesn’t need anyone messing with her.”
Gage crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the hull of the boat. “And you think I’m the type to mess with vulnerable women?”
Shit. “No. Hell. No. It’s not that.”
“Then what is it?”
Good question. Rayce paced some more, but no answers came to him.
On about his tenth lap, Gage swore and tossed down the chisel. “You think I’d do that to you? To her?”
That stopped him in his tracks. He ran his hands through his hair and over his face. The woman was making him nuts. The fight went out of him and he faced his brother. “You’re right. I know better.”
Gage nodded and picked up his chisel, then tossed it down and grabbed some sandpaper. Rayce knew the symptoms. His brother was too pissed to use the chisel. That was his fault, too.
Knowing he couldn’t leave until he’d fixed it, but needing some space, Rayce moved up to the house and made coffee. When he brought down two mugs to the boathouse, he was calmer. Hopefully, Gage was, too.
He heard the sandpaper before he walked in and sighed. Handing Gage a mug, he waited until they’d both taken a few sips. “Sorry.” They walked outside and sat on one of the benches strung along the edge of the dock. “You had your hands all over her.” The words slipped out without his permission. Again.
Gage nearly choked on his coffee, then he started to laugh. And laugh. Finally, he slugged Rayce in the shoulder. “So you drove by the motel, did you? Did you listen at the door, too?”
Coffee sloshed out of the mug and onto his hand as Rayce faced his brother. The smug smile stopped him. Damn, Gage could always get him. All of them. Must come from being the oldest.
“I take it you and Kami haven’t discussed whatever the hell happened back then.”
“There’s nothing to discuss.”
Instead of answering, Gage drank more coffee and stretched his legs out from the bench, leaving the ball in Rayce’s court.
After a few minutes of silence, Rayce thought he was going to spill things he didn’t want to tell his brother, so he stood. Gage wasn’t the person he needed to speak to. “See you later.”
Gage chuckled softly and waited until Rayce was at the top of the grassy slope leading to the house. “She’s not in the motel anymore.”
Hell. He turned back, but Gage hadn’t moved. When he couldn’t stand the wait any longer, he asked, “Where is she?” The question all but growled out of him.
Gage drank more coffee. “The new cabin.”
Here? His gaze turned to the woods. All the cabins were in isolated clearings with private docks so he couldn’t see anything, but she was there. Within reach.
Rayce started walking when Gage’s voice stopped him. “Remember, she doesn’t need anyone messing with her. She’s vulnerable right now.” Throwing his own words back at him.
But they were true words, so Rayce nodded before he walked away.
Once inside the truck, he debated with himself but couldn’t help turning the truck toward the far cabin. He stopped at the edge of the clearing and continued his internal debate, but finally pulled up next to her SUV.
Time to have an actual conversation, one she couldn’t run away from.
He grabbed the correct set of blueprints from the pile in his back seat and headed up to the front deck to knock on the door. All the curtains were pulled tight, and he wondered if she’d pretend she wasn’t there.
A long minute passed, and Rayce raised his hand to knock again when he heard the deadbolt turn. Kami opened the door a few inches and eyed him warily, without a word.
He held up the blueprint tube. “Thought you might have a minute to go over the plans.”
Mahogany eyes studied him without giving away any of their own secrets. When she let out a small sigh, he knew he’d won. She shuffled back and turned away, allowing him to let himself in.
The bedroom door was open, and he saw her duffel and a suitcase on the bed. A small cooler sat on the table near the fridge. “You haven’t even unpacked. We can do this later, it’s nothing that can’t wait. Do you need any help?”
A slight smile crossed her face. “I’ve lived out of suitcases for years. I’m fine.”
Kami crossed the room, knuckles white on the cane, and sat at the table.
“So Gage talked you into moving out here. Much better than a motel room.”
Another slight smile. Points for small talk. “He didn’t give me a choice but you’re right, it’s much better.”
While the motel was clean and maintained, it didn’t come close to the comfort of the cabin, which was more like a family home. Probably explained why they were booked a year in advance in high season.
When Rayce found himself fidgeting and wanting to discuss the decor of the cabin, he forced himself across the room and into a chair kitty-corner to Kami. He ignored her flinch at the closeness of his presence and leaned his arms on the table. Seeing her without sunglasses for the first time, he was able to see the weariness around her eyes. And the lack of fire. She’d always been determined, full of life. Even when she’d been exhausted, there’d been a sparkle in her eyes. Not now.
“What made you decide to come back to Bloo Moose?” Today was definitely the day for his mouth taking control of his brain.
Kami shrugged, and her eyes skittered around the room. “Seemed as good a place as any.”
Not good enough. Rayce reached out and trapped her hand under his. The trembling surprised him, but he held steady and waited until her eyes finally found his.
“I’d like to think we could be friends, Kami.”
Something flashed in her eyes, but she closed them briefly and held her breath for a moment. When she opened them, she had the same look he’d seen countless times on the tennis court. No emotion. Total control. Never let them see your fear, your nerves, your questions. Only control.
He wanted to push for something real, but he forced himself to wait. When she nodded, he managed a deep breath of his own. Friends. He could work with friends. That would give him time. They’d get to know each other all over again.
And it would be up to him. She didn’t have any reason to trust him, didn’t have any reason to open up. “Have either Megs or Mario tracked you down yet?” An almost genuine smile at that. The notorious gossip gurus battled each other to be the first to spread any news. “It must have killed them not to know you were coming back to town. Have they been sneaking around yet?”
“I’ve managed to avoid them, so far.” Which meant she was avoiding everyone. Not just him. And that she’d been spending a lot of time alone. If she’d been out, someone would have caught wind of it.
“You need anything from town?”
“I’m good.”
Unlike the conversation. Could they ever get past the awkward?
Without the sunglasses, she couldn’t hide the fact that she could barely look at him. Her gaze bounced off him like he was made of Teflon. Off his shoulders, his chest, his hair, his hands. Anywhere but his eyes.
He wanted to grab her shoulders or tilt up her chin so she’d have no choice. He also wanted it to be her choice.
And he wanted to touch her. To kiss her. To do a hell of a lot more than that. He had a lot of ground to make up before he got there. If he got there.
The hell with that. He wasn’t a complete idiot. He’d figure it out.
“Look, Kami, about that day when you got—”
Kami stood, sending her chair crashing to the floor. “I’m sorry. I just remembered I’ve got a phone call scheduled with my manager in a few minutes. We’ll have to look at the blueprints another time.” And she was off, across the room, and holding open the door more quickly than he would have believed possible.
He took his time getting to his feet and crossing to her. Still no eye contact. “Kami.”
Her body flinched again. He wanted to take her into his arms and hold her, but he’d lose the tiny bit of progress he’d made this afternoon.
Unable to resist, he lifted his hand and grazed it along her jawline. “It really is good to see you, Kami. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” He let his hand drift back to cup the back of her neck. It would be so easy to lean down and kiss her, taste those lips. Find the magic.
As if reading his intentions, Kami leaned away from him, and he pulled back his hand. “Tomorrow.”