TYLER’S CHEST WAS TIGHT as he walked toward the sweet shop with Sarah. He’d wanted to kiss her, partly out of appreciation for showing him something amazing, but also for the simple reason that she was beautiful and intriguing. Her vivacious nature, her family’s close ties, this small town... They were a bigger mystery to him than anything he’d encountered.
“We should get together some evening and discuss kitchen design,” he said. The words had popped out of his mouth without forethought and a mental groan followed. Wanting to see Sarah had little to do with kitchen design.
“I suppose,” she said slowly. “But to be frank, I’m not sure that someone who doesn’t cook can plan a proper kitchen unless it’s by accident. Still, I’m happy to listen to your ideas, provided you listen to mine. I’ve dealt with two other architects, and I swear, nothing got through to them.”
It was a reminder that she’d remodeled once when opening the business and again after signing the contract for Poppy Gold. She had to be sick to death of the entire process.
“I’ll listen,” Tyler promised, more confident now that he was talking business. “But are you certain you don’t want to use the Poppy Gold kitchens permanently? It would be much less costly than remodeling or buying a different building.”
“When I used Poppy Gold’s facilities during the second remodel, it felt as if I was running a factory. That isn’t what I want to do.”
“I remember your opinion on factory baking,” he said. “I promise to listen to what you want. I don’t know if you can get the space you’ll need out of your building, but if you have to go through it again, I want to be sure the extra square footage is useful.”
* * *
SARAH KEPT HER GAZE forward, unsettled by the sincerity in Tyler’s voice. She’d been trying to keep the conversation light, but the undercurrents were too strong.
“I have all the paperwork on my building blueprints at the house,” she said slowly. “It’s fine if you want to come over tomorrow night to see them.”
“Great. I’ll get takeout.”
“That isn’t necessary, I’ll bring something home from the shop,” Sarah said.
Tyler was doing her a favor; she couldn’t let him provide a meal on top of that. Not to mention the “favor” still bothered her. He claimed it was an apology and that he needed something to do, but it didn’t make her any more comfortable.
“Sounds good. Is six thirty too late?” he asked. “Nathan has an appointment tomorrow afternoon, and I don’t know long it’ll take.”
“It’s fine.”
He continued down the street toward Poppy Gold as Sarah went inside the shop. She quickly locked up the daily receipts and collected her purse and keys.
With deliberate care, she walked around the catering vehicles, plugging them in and testing the special connectors. They weren’t likely to become disconnected by accident. She made a face, knowing that if she’d invested in a fast-charging station, they wouldn’t have had a problem that morning. Instead the vehicles took an overnight charge.
A sound startled her, and she whirled around.
“Tyler, what are you doing out here?”
He looked embarrassed. “I wanted to make sure everything was okay, but you’re obviously taking care of it.”
Sarah didn’t know whether to be amused or annoyed. In his own way, Tyler appeared to have the same protective streak as her father and other relatives.
But it wouldn’t be wise to read too much into his behavior. His career was on hold while an investigative commission decided his professional future. Yet instead of staying in Illinois, he was in California, helping his mother and brother through their problems.
Boredom had to be influencing how he was acting, along with the need to protect his mother since she worked at the bakery.
“Plugging the vehicles into the charging stations is part of my routine when I leave in the evening,” she explained.
“Except you aren’t sure you did it last night.”
“It’s so automatic, I don’t always consciously remember having done it. I’ve even called the shop a few times, asking them to double-check.”
“Have you ever missed?”
“Once. So it’s possible that with all the distractions lately, I just didn’t get it done last night.”
Tyler stood there, tall and sexy, and Sarah felt a traitorous tug in her abdomen. She shook herself. “Aren’t Rosemary and Nathan waiting for you?”
“Yeah. How about eating with us? Nathan has been in a foul mood since Sunday. He might sweeten up if you’re there.”
Sarah tried not to laugh. Tyler wasn’t asking her for a date but for something just as personal...dinner with the family. Some people might see it as a meaningful step, but she knew better.
“I’ll pass. Anyway, he’ll be more comfortable if it’s just the three of you.”
“I suppose. Well, good night.”
“Good night.”
Tyler turned and strode up the alley while Sarah got into her car and debated with herself all the way home. She could have asked him to come over later...and tried to seduce him. The temptation was enormous. Several of her girlfriends who’d ended awful relationships advocated short-term liaisons as part of the recovery process. “Guys use us for sex—why not use them?” they argued.
The idea bothered Sarah. If nothing else, how could you be sure you wouldn’t end up hurting a nice man? She also questioned whether her friends truly practiced what they’d preached. Not that it mattered. She was no longer “recovering” from her marriage. Douglas was behind her.
As for Tyler?
Getting involved with him would be like sticking her hand in a fire and expecting not to get burned. That didn’t mean her body wasn’t in favor of the prospect, even though her mind knew it was risky.
At the house, Sarah went through the ritual of sitting on the couch while Theo ecstatically demanded attention.
“You’re a pal,” she whispered as he turned over on his back, exposing the small white spot on his belly. She stroked him, and a purr boomed out.
Sarah rested her head on the cushions as she rubbed behind his ears. In the morning, she’d call Zach and give him a heads-up about the harassment, but at this point a formal police report would still seem ridiculous.
Still seem ridiculous?
The words made her shiver, banishing everything else from her mind.
It implied that more problems were coming.
* * *
THE NEXT MORNING, Kurt showed up at the Yosemite suite shortly after six thirty. Rosemary had invited him to breakfast, saying she hoped he wasn’t angry that she’d taken Sarah’s side earlier in the day but she hadn’t felt there was a choice.
Kurt wasn’t bothered, at least now that he’d calmed down. He respected Rosemary taking a stance, even if it wasn’t one that helped him.
Rosemary opened the door and gave him a tentative smile. “Good morning. Please come in.”
Nathan hurriedly sat up on the couch. “Hey, Kurt. I didn’t realize...that is, I need to change. See you in a minute.”
Kurt had only seen Nathan in passing since Sunday. Monday was a rushed day as Poppy Gold said goodbye to weekend travelers and greeted new ones coming in. And there were three large companies having conferences in Glimmer Creek, which took coordination from every member of the staff.
He glanced at Rosemary’s anxious face. “Has Nathan experienced a setback?”
“More like a long temper tantrum,” she said with exasperation. “Something must have happened on Sunday. The girl he was talking to seemed nice, and she even called last night to see if he wanted to do something this weekend, but he put her off.”
Kurt instantly felt like a selfish bastard. In all honesty, he’d avoided talking to Rosemary on Monday, unable to decide how he should handle the information about Tyler’s legal problems in Illinois. And yesterday he’d been oblivious to everything but Sarah’s needs.
“As I recall, he was flirting with my niece Vickie,” he said slowly. “Talented kid. Taking environmental studies at UC Davis and expects to have her degree next spring.”
“I thought...” Rosemary’s voice trailed as Tyler came into the kitchen. “Good morning, dear.”
“Morning.” He nodded at them both and stumbled to the coffee maker, only looking half-awake.
“Didn’t you sleep?” Rosemary ventured.
“For an hour or two. Uh, I won’t be here for dinner tonight. Nice seeing you, Kurt.” He poured a cup of coffee and headed out again.
“I take it that neither of your sons are morning people,” Kurt commented wryly.
“No, though before Nathan was hurt, he always got up at dawn when he visited. His military training, I think.”
“It does that. Has anything else happened with Nathan?”
“He wants to cancel an appointment with Dr. Romano,” she said softly. “They were supposed to start therapy sessions this afternoon.”
“I’ll ask Nathan to help me this morning and encourage him to keep the appointment,” Kurt told her in an equally quiet tone.
“Thanks.”
It was another few minutes before Nathan arrived, clean-shaven and showered.
Kurt didn’t mind that Tyler didn’t reappear for breakfast. He wasn’t impressed by the young architect. Rosemary clearly loved both her sons, but her eldest was too reserved for Kurt’s taste.
“How about helping me today?” he asked Nathan, who was stirring the food around his plate, barely eating.
Nathan scowled. “What could I do?”
“Plenty. I’m behind with starting the autumn plantings, and if I don’t catch up, Poppy Gold will have to buy them. You can put seeds in potting soil, can’t you?”
“I...sure.”
“Good, because that’s exactly what I need. My job includes producing plants for the garden beds and flowers for cutting. Now eat up. We have work to do.”
Almost meekly, Nathan forked in a mouthful while Rosemary brightened and finished her cup of tea. “I’d love to stay longer,” she said, “but I have to get going. Come over later and I’ll buy you both lunch.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Kurt winked to reassure her.
As they were leaving, Tyler came downstairs carrying two of the pool towels Poppy Gold provided.
He gave Nathan a quizzical look. “Where are you going? You’ve got a workout at the pool.”
“I’m going to skip it and spend the day with Kurt.”
“Nonsense,” Kurt interjected hastily. It had slipped his mind that Nathan exercised each morning. “I need to run over to the sweet shop, anyhow. Meet me at the second greenhouse when you’re done, Nathan.”
Kurt thought he saw a hint of appreciation in Tyler’s eyes but couldn’t tell for certain. Most of Kurt’s commanding officers had been notoriously stoic, but even they’d shown more emotion than Tyler Prentiss.
“I’ll put my swim trunks on,” Nathan muttered.
After he’d limped into the back of the suite, Tyler nodded. “Thanks, Kurt.”
“No problem. It gives me a chance to check on Sarah.”
“How many times do you go over there every day?”
Kurt shrugged. “Once or twice usually, though I’ll go more often until this harassment is resolved. My work schedule is flexible. I get things done, that’s all my niece and brother-in-law care about. They’re the owners.”
“I’ve met them. Tell me something. Obviously this is a popular vacation spot—I’ve been wondering how my mom and brother got a suite on such short notice.”
“Things happen. Cancellations and the like,” Kurt said evasively, preferring not to discuss Poppy Gold’s long-standing efforts to assist soldiers, veterans and military families in crisis. The John Muir Cottage was dedicated to that purpose.
“But it doesn’t—”
Tyler fell silent as Nathan reappeared.
“See you later,” Kurt said, hurrying out. He didn’t know what was bothering Tyler Prentiss and would rather not find out; the information he’d already gathered was enough of a headache.
* * *
TYLER GOT IN the pool with Nathan to help with his workout. From their first session, it had been obvious why water therapy had been recommended. His brother instinctively relaxed, and there was little risk of further injury.
It was a warm morning already, and the cool water was pleasant. A pool might be nice to have at home, Tyler mused idly. Perhaps an infinity pool on a deck outside the loft he’d told Sarah about, built of Plexiglas, giving the sensation of floating through open space. It would be particularly remarkable at night.
Sarah would likely hate it.
The unbidden thought made Tyler frown. Actually, she wouldn’t hate it, she just wouldn’t see it as home.
Another mental picture grew of a secluded swimming pool with small islands and waterfalls and natural growth around the meandering edges...a place his ordered mind would dismiss as untidy and chaotic. That was the kind of swimming pool Sarah would undoubtedly appreciate.
He pushed the images away.
Sarah was getting into his head far too often.
To Tyler’s surprise, Nathan exercised longer than usual before getting out and dressing. The mornings he’d spent in the sunshine already showed on his skin; instead of pallid white, his legs and chest had a hint of bronze.
“I’m going straight to the greenhouses,” Nathan announced as he zipped his jeans.
“What about your appointment with Dr. Romano this afternoon?”
“We’ll see.”
Aggravated, Tyler grabbed the towels and took them back to the suite. Housekeeping was there, so he didn’t shower, instead going upstairs to sit at his drafting table.
He stared out the window at the natural landscape beyond the confines of Poppy Gold. How had such a popular destination been able to accommodate his family for an indefinite period? In the long run, it didn’t matter, but he still wondered how far ahead his mom and brother had planned this trip and if they’d intentionally left while he was in Italy.
Tyler tapped a pen on the table, determined to think about something else. Sarah had urged him to file a slander suit against Corbin, just as his lawyer had. What had she said...that taking the high road was great, but guys like Corbin didn’t even know there was a high road?
Sarah was so passionate—how did she have the energy to care that much about everything? But she was also right. Staying silent might lead people to think he doubted his architectural skills. His feelings of responsibility stemmed from failing to stop the construction, not a concern that his design was faulty.
He took out his phone and called the law office in Chicago, leaving a message for his attorney.
His cell rang twenty minutes later.
“Thanks for calling me back, Leonard,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about the countersuit against Corbin and discussing it with a friend. I want to move forward with the suit.”
Friend?
Tyler was amazed to realize the description was true. Sarah was a friend—an exasperating, overly emotional, opinionated friend. And all of that might be fine if she weren’t uncomfortably desirable, as well.
“Excellent.” Dalby sounded pleased. “I’m tired of watching Milo Corbin’s interviews on the local station without doing something about it. Nothing has gone national, so I don’t think anyone is taking him seriously, but he’s annoying.”
“He’s trying to cover his rear end.”
“If he’d listened to you in the first place, he wouldn’t be in this mess. It’s a good thing he didn’t try hiring me. Lawyers don’t always have the luxury of defending the innocent, but I’ll be damned if I’ll represent someone my gut says is dirty.”
A choked laugh escaped Tyler. He’d hired Leonard Dalby because of his reputation as an honest pit bull, but in the beginning, the attorney’s bluntness had made him uneasy. Now he liked it. Maybe because it reminded him of Sarah. She wasn’t blunt, but she was honest and forthright.
“I wish my gut had told me not to trust Corbin when he asked me to design his building,” Tyler admitted.
“Hindsight is twenty-twenty. I’ll get the paperwork filed. The damages I’m going to ask will definitely get his attention.”
Tyler winced. “I don’t want to look as if I’m trying to profit from this.”
“Profit has nothing to do with it. You have the right to be compensated for lost income and damage to your reputation,” Dalby retorted. “Anyhow, he’s going to have a stroke when he learns you documented your concerns about the changes he wanted. I love that you predicted exactly what happened. If we discover that he cut corners on the construction, he’ll be in even deeper trouble.”
Tyler rubbed his forehead. “What I don’t understand is why the county didn’t tell him they’d gotten a notarized copy of my concerns before breaking ground. It should have been resolved before they signed off on the permits.”
“That’s another interesting question. This case is full of them. If it weren’t for those men getting hurt, it would almost be fun. Got to go now—I’m due in court. I’ll be in touch.”
Tyler said goodbye and dropped his phone on the table.
His lawyer might relish the upcoming legal tussle, but he’d be glad when everything was over.
* * *
IN THE GREENHOUSE being used for the fall plantings, Kurt worked next to Nathan as they filled the flats with soil and planted the seeds in a grid pattern. It was tedious, but that made it better for talking.
“I understand you put Vickie off when she wanted to do something next weekend,” Kurt said.
“Mom shouldn’t have told you that.”
“She’s a concerned mother who wonders why her son is backing away from a beautiful girl. You seemed interested enough on Sunday.”
Nathan looked angry. “She’s an athlete and does projects like Rails-to-Trails and Habitat for Humanity. I don’t want to be one of her causes.”
“Vickie doesn’t encourage a man that way if she isn’t interested. You’d better call her back before she makes other plans. She’s popular. But keep in mind, if you break my niece’s heart, I’ll break every bone in your body,” Kurt returned with a pleasant smile.
A choked laugh came from Nathan. “I suspect Vickie would take care of any punishment for you. She seems direct.”
“That she is.”
They continued working, and Kurt was pleased to see Nathan looked less angry than before.
“Don’t you get bored?” Nathan asked after a while. “I don’t just mean planting seeds, but with all of it.”
Kurt wasn’t offended. It had taken him a while to appreciate how much he enjoyed working with his hands and the soil. While it might not be right for everyone, it had been right for him.
“No one is making me do this,” he said mildly. “I enjoy being around growing things. I spent too much of my career in places where no life was valued.”
“I suppose it’s different for regular retirement,” Nathan said at length. “You must need a rest then.”
“I was forty-three when I retired,” Kurt pointed out wryly. “Hardly in my dotage, either then or now. But you might be partly right. I had more than my fill of war.”
Nathan looked appalled. “That isn’t what I meant.”
Kurt sighed. “Son, it’s tough becoming a civilian again, no matter how long you’ve served. None of my fellow soldiers liked fighting, but it put us on the edge. There’s a surge in your blood that you can miss when it’s gone. Then you feel guilty and wonder what kind of person that makes you. Hell, my daughter says that if she had her way, we wouldn’t have war, we’d talk everything out over loaves of fresh-baked bread and fresh-churned butter.”
“Hear, hear. I like Sarah’s way best.”
“She’s a good kid. Makes me proud.”
Nathan turned more serious again. “You’re really okay, aren’t you, Kurt? You got through it all and you’re happy.”
“Sure, but I didn’t do it alone. Accepting help doesn’t mean you’re weak.”
Nathan scooped potting soil into another flat before looking up. “Yeah, well, I guess Mom also mentioned I might cancel with Dr. Romano today. Do you honestly think IRT can do anything? It sounded good, but when I was talking to Vickie, I realized how I must look through her eyes. A banged-up guy who may always limp and whose career could be over.”
Kurt opened another container of seeds, taking his time before answering. “There are never guarantees, but doing something is better than doing nothing. And if we can’t change our endings, maybe changing how we feel about them is the best bet. Why not try to do it for a bad dream?”
“I guess that makes sense.”
Kurt chuckled. “You know, I just remembered that one of the Egyptian pharaohs rewrote history after a defeat in battle. He simply came home and told a different story about what had happened. Everybody was happy.”
“Whatever works, I suppose.”
Kurt decided he’d said enough as Nathan nodded and bent over the flat he was planting. Time would tell, but IRT and other treatment could only be successful if Nathan put his mind to it and really tried. His physical recovery was only part of the healing he needed.