Chapter 4

Mick put his plan into action early the next morning. He strode into the Retreat offices, located off the lobby. He noticed a light on in one of them and heard the furious clicking of fingers flying across a keyboard. He peeked through the door and froze, so much for his good intentions to put the woman out of his mind through hard work.

“Morning, Heather. What are you doing here so early?”

Heather jumped and her chair rolled backward with a squeak. She put a hand to her heart, which had the unfortunate reaction of drawing his attention to her breasts. He never would’ve guessed a navy blue polo shirt with the corporate logo of a winding river, surrounded by trees, embroidered in white on the upper left breast, could hold such erotic appeal.

“Mick! You scared me. I didn’t expect anyone else to be here so early. It’s only six-thirty!”

“I could say the same to you—well, not that you scared me, because you didn’t—but, I did think I’d be the first one in the office. You used to like to sleep in, said it came from being raised on a horse farm, where you always had to be up before the sun.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Old habits die hard, and I went back to waking up early. Besides what time I choose to get out of bed isn’t any of your affair.”

Why did she have to talk about them and bed, and use the word ‘affair’? It pushed his thoughts farther down the path they’d started on this morning. Back to business. Going down the other path led to badness.

“You’re right, but your work is my business. What are you working on?”

She turned to look at the computer screen. “Organization and paperwork are not Jeff or Cisco’s thing, so I like to get here before them on Monday morning and get the week’s schedule in a spreadsheet for them.”

He leaned over her shoulder to look at the data. “You have all the groups we’ve got coming in this week, their activities, what rooms and facilities will be utilized—good work.” He tried hard to ignore the citrusy smell of her glossy, sun-kissed brown hair. “May I have a copy?”

She twisted her neck to look up at him, pleasure and surprise shone in her eyes. “Thanks. Of course you can have a copy. I usually print it out for Jeff and Cisco, but I also email it to them, so they can access it from their smart phones when they’re leading activities on the grounds.”

“Like hiking?”

She nodded. “Right. We also offer training on the Alpine tower and horseback riding. The guys lead all of those activities, so they’re not in the office a lot during the day.”

He leaned in closer to see today’s activities, and felt her silky hair brush against his cheek. His whole body reacted to the feathery sensation. He clenched his jaw and jerked away. He recited football stats in his head to will away his semi-erection, which started with no more than the touch of her hair. What the hell was his problem? Business—get back to business and his comfort zone. “What’s happening this morning?”

****

Excellent question.

What the hell was happening this morning?

Mick certainly was consistent in his mixed signals. She was picking up a vibe from him that he wasn’t thrilled to be working with her, but he went on to praise her work. Then to round it out, he went back to the jaw-clenching thing he did that gave a girl the definite impression he’d rather be anywhere but in her company.

To be fair, her reactions to him were just as confused. It pissed her off this man was waltzing in here to be her boss, and could get a partnership in the business she helped build. Not to mention having a constant reminder of her first heart-breaking rejection by a man. She really, really wanted to hate him, but when he praised her for her organizational abilities, and leaned into her to look at the computer she felt his hard, warm body; smelled his minty breath, and she wanted to pull him on top of her and kiss him senseless.

He waved his hand in front of her face. “Heather, I asked you what’s happening this morning?”

She straightened her spine. Right. Mick was her boss. Leave the wildly inappropriate thoughts at the office door. Better yet—leave them ten years in the past where they belonged.

“We have the Sales department from a manufacturing company checking in for team-building exercises. They have lunch scheduled in the dining room, and then Jeff will take them on an afternoon hike along our trails.”

“You’ll oversee their check-in?”

“I always do. I’ve checked their flight, and it’s on schedule for arrival. The minibus we use to pick them up is en route to Dulles as we speak.”

He looked impressed, and she hated the way it made her heart flutter.

“You keep everything here organized. I’m impressed.”

Great. Now the flutter was an out-and-out pound, and the heat she felt in her cheeks told her she was blushing. Lots of men had praised her for things that were just good genes—her smile, her hair, her body—but to have a man praise her for her work was new and nice. She had to admit if felt really good.

Her brother’s voice from the door spared her from making what she feared would be a breathless response.

****

“You should be impressed. Heather’s the grease that keeps this whole machine running smoothly.”

Footsteps pounded down the hallway, and Jeff’s eleven-year-old daughter, Sam, burst into the room.

“Aunt Heather, I’ve got that history test today, can you quiz me one more time?”

“Samantha Jane—manners,” Jeff reminded her in a warning tone.

The coltish child hung her head and her honey-blonde ponytail swung behind her head. “I’m sorry, Dad, I’m just really nervous about this test.” She glanced up at Mick through her fringe of bangs. “Good morning, Mr. Evans.”

He smiled at her. “Good morning, Sam. I always used to put a lot of pressure on myself at school, so I understand how you’re feeling.”

Heather stood and grabbed her empty coffee mug from the desk. “C’mon, Sam. We can do this in the kitchen while you have breakfast, and I grab a second cup of coffee.”

As they walked out of the room, Mick heard Heather soothe the child. “I know you’re stressing about this test, but you’ve got this Colony stuff down, so no worries.”

Jeff smiled after them with obvious affection. “I was really happy to see Heather and you working together so well this morning. I’ve got to be honest with you, Mick; I don’t know what I would do without her around here.”

“She seems to be very good at her job.”

“She is, and she always goes above and beyond her job description, even though she’s the boss’s sister. She decorated this place—the Retreat rooms and my personal quarters. She oversaw the renovations while Cisco and I were playing our last season with the Pintos.” He paused and shook his head in wonder. “And what she’s sacrificed to help me out personally—there’s nothing I could ever do to repay her for all she’s done.”

“Do you mean when she moved to Portland after Crystal died?”

“Yeah. I don’t know what I would’ve done without her. Sam doesn’t even remember her mother. Heather’s the one who’s helped me to raise her.”

“Which was great of her, don’t get me wrong, but I think moving across the country, being surrounded by pro ball players was an adventure for her.”

Jeff scowled and pounded his right fist into the palm of his left. “But you bastards all knew enough to leave my baby sister alone.”

Mick swallowed hard, and hoped Jeff couldn’t see his Adam’s apple bob with the action. Two things he wanted to avoid doing here in Rivers Bend—seeing Heather Braden, and discussing his past history with Heather with Jeff. So far he was zero for two.

Time for him to take evasive action, since his plan was not exactly working like a charm. “Did I hear talk of coffee somewhere?”

Jeff hoisted his cup of hot, aromatic coffee. “In the kitchen—follow me. Mrs. Wilson, my housekeeper, keeps a pot going all day.”

****

She heard Mick and Jeff talking as they approached the kitchen, and Heather struggled to concentrate on the U.S. History textbook propped up on the table in front of her. Sam sat across from her and shoveled in a spoonful of cereal before hurriedly swallowing to answer Heather’s question.

“Connecticut was the fifth state to join the Union.”

“Right! You’ve got this stuff down, Sam. You’re going to ace your test.”

“Of course you are, Peanut.” Jeff poured a cup of coffee for Mick as he spoke to his daughter.

Heather feared it would look weird if she kept reading the textbook, and reluctantly looked up at her brother and Mick. Maybe Mick wouldn’t even be looking at her.

She gulped.

No such luck, his light brown eyes focused on her with such laser beam attention she could imagine sparks shooting from the gold flecks in them.

“Heather,” her brother’s voice broke the spell firing up between Mick and her. “I was just telling Mick we’re more casual around here.”

Her gaze took a leisurely tour from his Italian leather shoes, up to the impeccable suit personally tailored to fit his broad shoulders and narrow waist, and on to the crisp white shirt and blue silk tie.

She raised her eyebrows and looked down at her own low-slung khakis and navy Retreat polo shirt. “You do look a little over-dressed, Mick.”

“Michael,” he replied automatically.

Jeff leaned against the granite countertop, cupped his mug in his hands, and laughed. “I’d give up on that Michael business already; you’re Mick to us. Always have been; always will be. It’s a losing battle.”

Sam gulped down the last of her orange juice. “Dad, can you give me a ride to school now? I don’t want to be late today.”

Jeff put his mug in the sink. “Sure, Peanut. Grab your stuff and I’ll meet you at the truck.”

“Thanks, Dad!” Sam beamed at Heather as she put her dishes in the dishwasher, and then ran over to throw her arms around her aunt’s neck. “And thank you, Aunt Heather, for all your help getting ready for this test! Bye, Mr. Evans!”

“Call me Mick,” he replied with a deep sigh of resignation. “Good luck on your history test.”

Jeff grabbed his truck keys off a hook by the back door. “Heather, can you get Mick set up with Retreat gear in his size—polos, tees—you know what he’ll need. Can’t have him looking like he stepped off a fashion runway every day. It’d scare the livestock.”

“Livestock?” Mick’s jaw dropped. “We have livestock?”

Heather laughed, but it stuck in her throat at her brother’s next words.

“Oh, and take him on the grand tour this morning.” He tossed a set of keys at her, which Heather caught one-handed. “Take a golf cart and make sure he’s sees everything.”

No.

Hell to the no.

Heather did not want to spend her morning pressed up against Mick in a tiny golf cart.

Okay, maybe she did want to, but it scared the bejeezus out of her.

“Sorry, Jeff, but I have a group checking in this morning. I need to oversee the process; make sure it all runs smoothly.”

Jeff flashed her a charming grin that would probably have worked on any woman who wasn’t one of his sisters. “Don’t worry about it, it’s a small group. I’ll call Cisco and have him handle the check-in.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but Jeff was gone like a flash before she could say a word. He’d been out of the NFL for years, but when he wanted to avoid something her brother could still move like lightning.

She dragged her gaze to Mick, who seemed torn between amusement at her obvious discomfort, and his own annoyance at being thrust together this morning.

“Looks like you’re stuck with me,” he said with a rueful grin.

“Looks that way.” She threw the back door open and said with resignation, “Let’s get this tour on the road. The sooner we start, the sooner we finish.”

****

Mick grinned as he stepped outside. “I don’t think I’ve ever had such a gracious invitation before.”

Heather screwed up her mouth. “I’m sorry. My mom would have my head on a platter for being so rude. Even to you.”

“Impressive. You almost got your apology out without another insult.”

She led the way to the golf cart, and he remembered the crazy way she used to drive. She might have improved in the past eleven years, but he wasn’t ready to take the chance she hadn’t. “How about I drive?”

“But you won’t know where to go.”

“You can tell me where to go.”

“Oh, I’d like to tell you where to go, all right,” she muttered.

Mick pretended not to hear, in order to try to keep both the peace and his promise to Jeff that Heather and he would get along with each other. “I’ll learn my way around better if I’m the one driving.”

She tossed the keys at him, and he wasn’t kidding himself, she threw them at him, not to him.

She sat in the passenger seat with her arms crossed against her chest. “Fine. You do the driving. You can drive a golf cart, can’t you?”

He got behind the wheel, and his arm pressed against hers in the close confines of the cart. “Sure. A lot of business gets done on the golf course, so I had to learn the game. Plus the Pintos sponsored a charity golf tournament every year, and part of my job was to organize it.”

He felt her pull her body away from his, and he missed her warmth. She held onto the cart with one hand, and leaned out to the side to avoid contact. He frowned. Was she still so mad at him she would rather hang out of a moving vehicle than to have any incidental contact with him? For the first time, Mick worried he wouldn’t be able to keep his promise to Jeff. Heather and he seemed incapable of getting past their history together, in order to get along in the present.

He’d really been counting on Heather’s forgiveness for his past douchebaggery, although he wasn’t sure he deserved it. She turned her head to look at him with a frown. “I think the first stop better be the supply room. Your suit looks seriously out of place on a golf cart. Let’s get you changed and into some Retreat gear. Do you have khakis or something more casual to wear back at your cabin?”

“Of course I do—do you think I only own suits?”

“Well…yeah.”

“Nope. They’re not comfortable for sleeping. And don’t get me started on the beach, all that sand getting in the cuffs…” He winked at her. “How do we get to the supply room?”

She gestured with the hand not gripping the frame of the cart. “Follow this path—there’s a cabin down here where we keep the hotel linens and Retreat gear.”

He squinted in the bright sunlight, and took one hand off the wheel to pull a pair of sunglasses out of the interior jacket pocket. “I forgot how bright the world is outside of Portland.”

Heather chuckled. “Welcome back to sunshine. The weather could be a little gloomy, but I really enjoyed living in Portland. Are you missing it?”

“A little bit. I miss my house. The cabin is great, don’t get me wrong, and I really appreciate Jeff letting me stay there, but I’d like to get settled in my own place soon.”

The ghost of a smile played around Heather’s lips, and he would not look at her lips anymore. He gripped the wheel, and focused his attention on the winding path ahead of them.

“You always were a homebody,” she said.

“I like to chill; there’s nothing wrong with that.”

She turned her head to look at him and raised her eyebrows. “Take it down a notch, Defensive Man, I didn’t say there was.”

“Sorry.” And he was, but he’d always felt a little dull compared to Heather’s lively personality, so her statement struck a nerve. “Is that where we’re headed?”

Heather looked where he gestured, and nodded. “Yep. Pull up in front, and we’ll get you all fixed up with the full complement of Retreat clothing. Then we’ll head over to your cabin, and you can change your clothes.”

****

Heather sat on the overstuffed red sofa in the tiny living room of Mick’s cabin, while he changed into more casual clothes before they continued their tour of the Retreat.

The thought of him in the next room stripping out of his suit, left her feeling a little warm. She fanned her face with one hand, and shook her head in irritation. This was Mick Evans she was having hot and steamy thoughts about. She really needed to get a grip. He was the only man she’d ever really trusted with her heart, and he’d taken it and stomped on it. Just because he was still so handsome he was almost beautiful was no reason to start softening toward him.

She squirmed in the seat. Every once in a while, she caught a glimpse of the young man she’d fallen in love with, and it made her wonder if he was still there, under all his sophisticated veneer.

The bedroom door creaked open, and she turned her head to see Mick emerge in a navy Retreat polo, a pair of khakis riding low on his lean hips, and Topsiders on his feet. He held out his arms and spun around like a model on the end of the runway. “Better, Ms. Braden?”

“Much better. You look like you belong here now, and not at some corporate office in Manhattan.”

“That’s good, because here is where I want to be.”

She wrinkled nose. “Really? I didn’t think you’d ever move this close to your home again.”

He plopped down in one of the two chairs opposite her, and sighed. “I didn’t think I would either, but things change.”

“What changed for you?” Heather flapped her hands. “You know what? It’s none of my business. Forget I asked.”

“No, it’s okay. You’re the only person who really knows about my family crap; I don’t mind you asking.” He paused and took a deep breath, before continuing, “Things with my dad are still strained to the breaking point, and I’m not too popular with my brother Danny, either, but I keep in touch with my mom, sister, and my two youngest brothers.”

“That’s good. Isn’t it?”

He bobbed his head. “Yeah, it is. I was starting to miss them, and as Billy and Dave get older, I’m afraid my father is going to try to do the same thing to them he tried to do to me. I don’t think they want to work in the mine, but he’s really pressuring them to do it. I thought maybe I could help them more from here than from three-thousand miles away. Susan is getting married soon, my baby sister. I can’t believe it, and I want to be here for her, too. Once she starts having kids, I didn’t want to just be a picture on the fridge to them. I want to be a real uncle when the time comes.”

“What about the Pintos? You’ve worked for them for so long; it couldn’t have been easy to leave.”

He shrugged. “After the Jurgenson family sold the team, it wasn’t the same.”

“I heard about the sale—what happened?”

“You knew Old Man Jurgenson retired, right?” At her nod, he continued, “His son took over, but he was no spring chicken when he started, and he retired at the end of last season. And his son has a successful business of his own and zero interest in football, so he decided to sell the team.”

“And you don’t like the new owners?”

“They’re okay, but it’s not the same. Remember how there was always a real family feel to the organization?”

“Oh yeah, everyone was so great to me when I moved to Portland to take care of Sam. It was like having a huge, built-in extended family.”

“It’s not like that anymore. Now there’s a much more corporate vibe.”

“I would’ve thought you’d like a formal work environment.”

He frowned. “Because I’m such a stuffy, corporate drone? Never mind. Don’t answer that, I don’t think my ego could take it. No, I didn’t like it, so when your brother and Cisco offered me the opportunity here, I jumped at it. The chance to work with friends, and be close to family—I couldn’t do anything else.”

Heather could definitely feel herself weakening where Mick was concerned, and didn’t like it at all. How could she keep her hate on when he was acting like a nice guy? Time to get moving and away from this kind of intimate conversation. “We better get back to our tour of the Retreat. My new boss is kind of a hard ass, and I don’t want to get into trouble with him for goofing off.”

“I hear he’s not too bad.” One side of Mick’s mouth quirked up as he stood and held the door open for her.

Heather wasn’t sure about that. In her opinion, he was really bad for her peace of mind, especially when he was being all down-to-earth and charming.

****

After Heather’s tour of the Retreat a couple of days ago, Mick felt like he made some progress in making things better with her, but between school and her job, he’d barely seen her since then. He’d always thought of himself as a nose-to-the-grindstone kind of guy, but next to Heather, he felt like a real slacker.

The phone on his desk trilled, and he tapped the button for speaker phone, so he could keep working on his laptop while he talked.

“Mick Evans.”

“Mick? Since when is that your name?”

An amused, upper-crust drawl sounded through the phone.

Damn. Everyone here had been calling him Mick, and he’d said it automatically. He glanced at the Caller ID and winced. Philip Exeter—double damn.

“Pip, good to hear your voice, old man. Thanks for returning my call.”

“When I heard you were at the Retreat at Rivers Bend, I couldn’t resist.”

Mick frowned and his fingers paused in their keyboard tapping. “Why is that?”

“The whole town is buzzing about your new employer at the moment. Bitsy was especially interested in the possibility of visiting.”

Bitsy was Pip’s wife, and possibly the biggest gossip in New York society, but as far as Mick knew, she considered a trip to the Hamptons to be a safari, so the idea of her venturing to Virginia boggled the mind.

“Isn’t this a little off the beaten track for Bitsy’s taste?”

Pip chuckled. “Yes, but it holds a certain appeal for her.”

Mick loved Rivers Bend, with it’s rustic Southern beauty, but he couldn’t imagine what would appeal to Bitsy Exeter here, unless she’d been hit on the head and forgotten who she was.

“The Retreat is for corporate team-building events. It’s not an Inn. Is Bitsy working with you at the Exeter Investments now?”

Pip’s chuckle turned into full-on laughter. “Bits—working? Oh Michael, you are such an amusing man. I’d bring my group down, and Bitsy will tag along in hopes of visiting with Elizabeth Mallory’s granddaughter.”

“Does she have a place here in Virginia?”

“Do you mean you haven’t met her yet? I understand she’s very cozy with your friend Braden.”

“Do you mean Maggie?”

“What is it with that town and the ridiculous nicknames? You haven’t even been there a week and you’re ‘Mick,’ and Magda is ‘Maggie’?”

It was a little tough to take the insult to ‘Mick’ and ‘Maggie,’ from a grown man called Pip, whose wife goes by Bitsy, but Mick was hoping to do business with him, so he ground his molars and said, “Her last name isn’t Mallory, so I didn’t make the connection.”

“You miss all the good news when you choose to live in the hinterlands. She ran away to your little town, and threw over Pierce Allen for Jefferson Braden.”

“I don’t know anything about it, sorry.” Okay, that was a big, fat lie. Mick wasn’t at all sorry. He liked Maggie, and no way was he going to gossip about her with this snob, but Pip knew everyone, and could steer a lot of business the Retreat’s way if his investment firm came here and had a positive experience.

“They were engaged, although no date had been set yet. Allen’s a good man. We were at New Haven together.”

Mick knew enough about Pip’s world to know the phrase meant Allen and Pip had attended Yale together, not just gone on a day trip to Connecticut. He rolled his eyes at Pip’s snobbery. “Maggie’s a lovely person, so I’m sure she had her reasons. Anyway, Pip, back to your idea of coming here for a corporate retreat—I’m happy to send you some materials on the Retreat at Rivers Bend. I think we’d be the perfect spot for…”

“I can’t imagine what reasons she could have for leaving an Allen, old man. It’s a top-notch family. I mean, who is this Braden? I heard his people are farmers! Can you imagine such a thing?”

Mick’s hands clenched into fists over his keyboard, and he was glad Pip and he weren’t on a video call, so he only had to control his voice, and not his expression. He was fairly sure if there had been livestock at the Retreat, the anger on his face would have them running for the hills in fear right about now. No business was worth this fucker coming into Jeff’s home to insult his woman and his family!

“Jeff Braden is the best man I know, and his family has been nothing but warm and welcoming to me. I don’t know anything about your friend, Allen, but Maggie couldn’t ask for anyone better than Jeff.”

“I’m sure he is fine, but a farmer? He better watch out. She might try to climb up the social ladder in your new town and run off with the plumber.”

“You know, Pip, I’ve re-thought things, and I don’t think the Retreat would be a good match for Exeter Investments after all.”

“What! Why ever would you say such a thing? Bitsy will be so disappointed.”

“Old Bitsy is going to have to survive without coming here to savage a perfectly lovely young woman, whose only sin is choosing a good man from outside your social circle.”

“Now, now, old man, no need to be rude.”

“That’s rich! You’re telling me not to be rude, when you were about to install your pit viper of a wife into my friend’s home, merely in order to ferret out gossip about his girlfriend? I may just be a simple former football player like Jeff, but even I know rude behavior when I see it.”

“Oh come now, you’re nothing like him. You went to Stanford, and I hear he could only go to college based on his ability to play a game, and actually went to Alabama! I mean, really, there’s no comparison. I don’t believe I’ve ever even flown over Alabama.”

“You know for such a sophisticated man, you have a very narrow world view, old man.”

Even Pip was going to have a hard time pretending not to hear the disdain in his tone.

“Perhaps you’re right. Rivers Bend may not be the right place for our corporate retreat,” Pip’s voice was stiff.

Mick hoped he hadn’t burned too many bridges by alienating Pip, but he couldn’t stand by and listen to him insult Jeff and Maggie. Oh well, he’d just have to try extra hard to have some of his other contacts come through with new business. “No. It most definitely is not. You can tell Bitsy, and anyone else who asks, Jefferson Braden and Magda Horvath are two of the finest people on this Earth, and are blissfully happy together. If anyone legitimately wants to come to the Retreat, because it’s the best place for a corporate team-building experience, they’ll be more than welcome here, but if they only want to come here for gossip and to hurt decent people, then their money is no good in Rivers Bend. Good bye, Pip.”

“Good bye, old man.” Pip sounded a little bewildered as Mick pressed the button to disconnect their call.

Mick dropped his head against the back of his desk chair and screwed his eyes shut. What a painful telephone call! He really was counting on this partnership thing working out, but if he couldn’t bring in new business it wasn’t going to happen. Maybe he shouldn’t have insulted a prospective client, even if the man was a world-class jerk.

The sound of applause from his doorway made his eyes fly open. Heather stood at the entrance to his office and clapped her hands together.

“Thank you for defending my brother and Maggie from that snooty windbag! I can’t believe he would book a whole meeting here just to try to get some dirt on Maggie! No wonder she couldn’t wait to leave that world behind. And for the record, Pierce Allen is an insane drug addict who tried to kidnap Maggie, so he may be an Allen, and we Bradens may just be simple horse farmers, but she definitely traded up when she fell in love with my brother.”

Mick’s eyebrows reached for the ceiling. “Allen tried to kidnap her?”

“Long story, but yeah, he’s a flipping sociopath, so thank you for not bringing his friends into Jeff’s home.”

“I don’t know if Jeff will thank me for losing my temper and turning away business.”

“You were defending his girlfriend and our family. I don’t know what hoity-toity New York society thinks of it, but here in Rivers Bend it’s the way things are done. Jeff will understand. I’m proud of you.”

Heather’s approval was extremely gratifying, but the flush of pleasure her words brought on was squelched by his fear he’d behaved like a hot-head just like his old man, and Heather deserved a lot more.