“Damn, did I ever need that.” I breathed in the cool Atlantic breeze and looked up at the rustling trees overhead. The morning sun was already screaming into the day, casting shadows from the east across the well-manicured lawn of Bainbridge.

I closed the front door and headed through the echoing entry, my heart pounding from my habitual morning run. I was now ready for the day.

Since it was Saturday, I wasn’t sure who may or may not be up and about, and unfamiliar with the routine of the house, I decided to go to the kitchen. Surely there was someone stirring there.

I was right. The cook, an ancient man by the name of Pow, was there already preparing breakfast. He graciously filled me in on the long-established schedule that had been the norm for Bainbridge since its beginning. To my liking, it was identical to Wedlove’s. I smiled at that, assuming Devon and Elz suggested it to Elz’s ancestor, Edith Bainbridge, all those years ago, actually my ancestor as well, and due to its convenient efficiency, it had carried on through the decades.

I liked Pow, an aged Comanche Indian from west Texas who said he’d worked as the main cook at Bainbridge since the middle of the twentieth century—a time when Americans had been fascinated with their old west and anything lending to its flavor. He said Elz’s great-grandmother, Dovie York, had hired him on the spot while passing through the small Texas town of Buffalo Gap when he was just a spry nineteen-year-old chap. Having sampled a few of the many buffalo dishes he had already become famous for, she’d told him she knew he was for Bainbridge.

Pow said he could cook just about anything on just about any menu, but that the locals of Boston and its surrounding area had always considered themselves treated when being served any dish he created with prairie-raised bison. He said the meat was no longer native to this part of the country, but it had been the primary meat served at Bainbridge since he ordered the first shipment the day he’d begun.

Having never tried American plains buffalo meat, and looking forward to the pleasure of such a treat, I left Pow to his work and headed upstairs for my shower.

Back in my room, I went to the closet, where Albert had instructed the maid to unpack my things. With a little more than forty-five minutes to shower before the traditional weekend breakfast buffet would be set, I reached into the closet and slid the hangers until I found the jeans and shirt I wished to wear. I grabbed a pair of boxer briefs and headed for the bathroom, but froze at the sound of squealing laughter. Recognizing the cheery voice coming from outside, I forgot about my current mission and walked to the doors leading to the balcony, tossing my clothes onto the bed as I passed. I watched for a moment, and then slipped outside unnoticed.

“Aaaah!” Jaymi squealed again. “Don’t, Griffin! You’ll really drop me!”

She was laughing harder now, her arms clutching Griffin’s neck like it was a bloody life preserver. In her fluffy white robe and fuzzy lime-green socks—adorable—she was clinging to him, repeatedly kicking her legs to break free from his strong, bride-over-the-threshold, embrace.

Griffin, too, was laughing.

“And just what is it that makes you think dropping you is not really my intention, Jay?” He swung her out over the pool again as if to throw her in. The warning expression on his face was exaggerated with each swaying suspension over the water as he counted. “One…twooo…”

“Aaaah…Griffin! You know that water is freezing.” She reinforced her hold around his neck, still laughing.

I didn’t like the feeling the situation gave me.

“If you drop me, I promise you’re coming in with me,” she warned.

I couldn’t pull my gaze away as I looked down from my obscure location. I didn’t even know Jaymi. Hell, I’d never laid eyes on the woman until the day prior; yet to my extreme discomfort, I didn’t like seeing her in Griffin’s arms—at all.

I was a bit freaked out by my reaction, and got a creepy feeling at my compulsion to secretly watch her. Determined to pull my head out of my arse, I tore my eyes from the scene and turned to go back inside, but stopped at the sound of Griffin’s voice.

“And who’s to say coming in with you is not my intention, jaybird?”

So much for determination. I couldn’t bring myself to take another step when I heard the flirtatious tone.

With Jaymi sucked up against him, I saw Griffin’s mood go all Don Juan on her. Wondering where this was going, I retracted the step I’d just taken, and slipped back into the concealed nook.

“Maybe I’m hoping to find myself in a frigid pool of water in these beautiful arms,” Griffin said. “They’ll keep me warm, I’m sure.”

My stomach twisted into a knot at the mere thought.

“However, I could be persuaded to return you to the cozy warmth of your blanket…for a price. I’ll put you right back over there on the chaise you were nestled onto so sweetly when I found you, and you can go back to enjoying your coffee and book.”

“A price?” Jaymi said, her expression guarded.

My heart was pounding. I pondered what the price might be.

Griffin’s look turned quite corrupt, and I wondered if Jaymi found him tempting. I hoped not.

“Just a small price,” he said. “Nothing too costly.”

“Nothing is ever small with you, Griffin. Spill it.”

“All right. If you want to go back to your morning solitude by the pool, kiss me.”

I felt my lips thin and my nostrils flare.

“I’m not kissing you, Griffin.”

That’s right! She’s not kissing you, Griffin!

I saw Griffin tighten his hold and smack his lips together in a fishy pucker, chasing Jaymi’s dodging mouth.

“Smooch, smooch, jaybird…come on…give me a kiss and I’ll put you down.”

Jaymi laughed. “When are you gonna learn, Griffin? I don’t kiss players.”

Griffin blew out a theatrical sigh and made a dramatic display of setting her to her feet.

“Well, you’ve got me there. I do love to play. I guess I’ll just have to get my smooching elsewhere.” He pulled her into the cheery embrace of one arm and walked her back to the terrace—back to the obvious nest he’d snatched her from. “You know that I’m just messing with you, Jay.”

“I know,” she said, smiling.

What? So he was teasing her this whole time?

Slowing to a halt at the foot of the chaise, he faced her and probed in what sounded to be brotherly air. “So now, you spill it. What’s up with you and Jarrett? He’s just your type—tall, dark, and fast driver. I saw how you two were looking at each other last night.” He clipped her under the chin. “I think you’ve finally been bitten, kitten.”

My frown yielded to a grin, and my jealousy to curiosity, relieved at the sudden turn of their conversation. I was anxious to hear her reply.

A lovely blush tinted her cheeks. “What do you mean you saw how we looked at each other? He didn’t look at me any different than he did you.”

Griffin’s brows darted upward. “Baby, if he ever looks at me like that, he won’t like what he sees coming because it would be my fist headed straight for his nose. Trust me, he wants you. Bad. The question is how bad do you want him in return? I’m a guy, so I know exactly what his look meant,”—he heaved another animated sigh—“but alas, skilled playboy or not, women are much harder for me to read. So I admit, I may not know what you were thinking, but I sure as hell know you were looking. And only when he didn’t know it. In fact, he’d probably be surprised to know how often, too.”

I smiled at the thought.

“Oh, I was not.” Jaymi lifted a playful hand to swat Griffin’s arm. “And besides, what were you doing looking at me looking at him anyway? Were you spying?”

Griffin laughed out. “So you admit it?”

With a cock of her head, Jaymi crossed her arms over her chest. “So what if I was? I mean really, Griffin, what woman wouldn’t? He’s the absolute embodiment of perfection. You should have seen how the women in the club were looking at him and Devon both, and so I looked, too. There…you have my confession. Are you satisfied? Still, that doesn’t mean I was thinking anything, so you can stop trying to figure me out. Now, why were you spying on me, huh?”

Griffin shook his head. “Oh no you don’t, Jaymi. You don’t get off that easily. There was a spark in your eyes. That much I know. I’m just not sure what it implied. Did it mean, ‘Ooh, I would get serious with him’? Or, did it mean, ‘Ooh, I would get naked with him’?” Jaymi gasped, but Griffin ignored it. “Which one was it, Jay? What were you thinking while looking at ‘the absolute embodiment of perfection’?”

I laughed quietly into my fist, wanting the answer to that myself, but Jaymi swatted Griffin again, this time harder as he let out a hoot, unsuccessfully dodging her wallop. She wore a scolding look. “You’re such a guy, Griffin. I wasn’t thinking either one. He has a girlfriend—one he plans to marry.”

Griffin’s widely split mouth clamped shut with a look of surprise. “Really?” His tone was more like a shocked acceptance than a question. “That I didn’t expect. Not with the way he staked his claim on you. I would’ve bet money his intentions would turn serious.”

Bloody hell!

Jaymi looked confused. “What are you talking about? What claim?”

“When Reed and I were raking you over the coals about Elz and Hollister. That wasn’t just his hand on the back of your neck.”

“Why would you think it was anything more, Griffin? With the angry way you guys were acting toward me, it’s not like he felt you were his competition or something.”

“That’s not the only reason a guy might mark what he feels is his, Jaymi. You didn’t see the look he gave us. He was sending us a very clear message that he would fight for you. And it was not just because you’re female, as if he was bound under some right-is-right and wrong-is-wrong sort of code. No, he was claiming you as his woman, saying, ‘She’s mine to protect, so back off or I’ll kick your ass.’ That’s why I’m so surprised he has a girlfriend. It’s also why I watched you both all night.”

My heart was pounding, and I wished Griffin would stuff a sock in it. But he didn’t; he frowned as if he found it hard to believe he could be so wide off the mark concerning my intentions.

“You know, Jaymi, you might have thought when I said I knew what his look meant, I was referring to sex since that’s usually what we men think about. Actually, that’s almost always what we men think about—that and sports—but regardless, I wasn’t. It wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to discern that look in a man. But I was referring to the admiration I saw in his eyes. I think he sees you as more than just a conquest.”

My gut wrenched, and I pressed my dizzy head back against the wall. Drawing a deep breath, I wondered if I should march my arse right back inside and book the next flight home. Griffin was right, of course. I’d openly made my warning to both him and Reed known, but I hadn’t realized I’d been so transparent with my other scrutiny of Jaymi.

What should I do? If I stayed at Bainbridge for the coming six months, I’d damn sure regret it; I knew I would, even with the occasional trips home I’d planned to make in order to keep Celeste happy. If I was already having anxiety, and I hadn’t even known the girl a full twenty-four hours, what could she do to me after six long months?

I was going to marry Celeste; she was safe and could never hurt me.

That aside, I knew I couldn’t leave Devon and Elz for long. The only thing I could do was stay. But I’d stay away from Jaymi, as much as possible anyway, without seeming rude.

Propriety. That will be the new basis of our relationship.

I quietly pushed away from the wall and slipped back inside with a new determination, intent on safeguarding my heart. Even though I had at first set it in my head to have some intimate fun with Jaymi and explore the strange attraction I felt toward her, I’d forget that and stay a safe distance away from her.

 

 

Showered and dressed, I stepped into the hallway to find Devon leaning casually with his back against the wall beside Elz’s door. He was clothed in blue jeans and a white button-down shirt left un-tucked, the sleeves rolled up his forearms.

I cast my gaze about to ensure we were alone. “Good morning, Devon. Waiting to get our first glimpse of the day, are we?” My grin held an underlying charge. “I’m sure you’ve missed Elz—I mean with you having your own room and all.”

Devon bid me good morning, and reciprocated with a guilty-as-charged grin. “I think you know better. But I couldn’t very well take the risk of being seen emerging with her from her room this morning, now could I? Even if she is my wife, that fact is not known to her family, so I must appear to be the respectable suitor.” The door opened, and Elz stepped out. Devon drank in her appearance.

He folded his arm around her as she stretched up to give him a soft kiss. “Good morning, again,” she said, sweetly.

“Good morning, again.” Devon grinned.

Clearly not expecting to see me opposite the door from Devon, she stepped away from him. “Morning, Jarrett.”

I smiled. “Good morning, marchioness.”

Her eyes stretched wide. Wearing a bright smile, she looked at Devon as if she hadn’t yet considered her title.

A grin dug into his cheeks, and he said, “You’d best get used to it, darling. Being my wife carries with it that title, and will someday carry the title of duchess.”

His gaze descended to her feet and back up.

“I’m amazed you’re lovelier in person than when I watched you through the glass. Even then, I knew I’d never seen a more beautiful creature. I love that you look so different than the women of my time, dressed as you are, in jeans and that T-shirt.” He followed the fullness there, taking in the shimmering emblem that drew the eye to the healthy curves beneath, and I saw his gaze dip lower to her narrow waist. “You’re breathtaking, as always.” He leaned in for another soft kiss.

“Thank you, Devon. And you’re breathmaking, dressed like that,” she fanned her face, panting playfully, then winked. “Although I’ll admit it will take a bit of getting used to since I’ve never seen you dressed like that in pictures.”

Another grin dug into Devon’s cheeks. “Are you disappointed?”

“The contrary—I can’t decide which I prefer.”

“Well, then maybe it’s a good thing you don’t have to choose, since we’ll be splitting our time between your century and mine.”

“The best of both worlds, right?” she said and her eyes shimmied down his body, making me feel a twinge of jealousy that I’d never be desired to the extent Devon was, for it was a desire that was the result of strong and eternal love. Not that I would begrudge him receiving such love.

She looked at me. “How did you sleep, Jarrett?”

I wiped the look of envy from my face and answered with a lie. “Like a baby. My eyes shut the second my head hit the pillow.”

“Good.” She beamed. “I, too, slept like a baby.”

“As did I.” Devon cleared his throat. “Eventually.” A smile twitched over his lips as he and Elz shared a telling glance. “In fact, when I did finally reach that state, I slept better than I have in six years. It was heaven.”

I grimaced, thinking of my restless night, and wondered if it would become the norm for me over the next few months. I again washed clear my expression and covered my ruse. “Yes, it’s amazing what lack of worry can do for the soul.”

Devon and Elz agreed, and we all went downstairs. As we descend the last step onto the gleaming hardwood floor of the grand hallway, Albert approached us and handed Elz a letter.

“This just arrived for you, Miss Elz, special delivery. The carrier said he’d been informed by the sender to make it clear that you receive it the moment you descend the stairs for breakfast at precisely this time.”

“That’s an odd thing for a carrier to say.” Elz frowned as she took the letter and began opening it. “Thank you, Albert. You can go.”

Devon and I watched her face as she read the letter. I assumed Devon was like me—wondering what could be so wonderful as to cause her to light up in such a way. A laugh burst free when she finished reading, and she tugged us into the nearest room—the study. She shut the door and turned, throwing herself into Devon’s arms.

He steadied himself against the unexpected onslaught and embraced her, laughing.

She squealed, “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, Devon. I can’t believe it! I was so worried about them after last night. You are truly the most amazing man ever. Oh, I love you.” He peered over her shoulder at me with an “I haven’t a clue” sort of look.

Pulling back to see her face, Devon was still laughing. “I would love nothing more than to make you this happy, darling, but I haven’t a clue as to what I’ve done.”

She laughed. “No, I don’t suppose you could possibly know. Here.” She thrust the letter toward Devon, and looked at me. “You can read it too, Jarrett.”

Devon took it, smoothing the folds from the elegant stationery. I moved beside him and looked over his shoulder, recognizing the letterhead and handwriting at once. It was Devon’s.

 

My darling, Elz,

 

I know well this day finds you happy and in superb health as it is one of my fondest memories.

I made a quick journey to your time to mail you this letter regarding your concern over the scholarship fund. It is to inform you that in the summer of 1852, you and I traveled here to Boston to set up a bank account in your name for this very purpose. I estimate it has grown to be quite large, as it was a very substantial sum to begin with. It should accommodate as many students as may desire to further their artistic skills.

The following pages will have all the information you will need to begin utilizing said account. No more worries, my love.

 

Faithfully, and eternally yours,

D.

 

P.S. Now come over here and kiss me, cara.

 

Wearing an amused smile, Devon lowered the stationery. We both raise our eyes to see Elz moving closer with an amused look of her own. She gripped the front of his shirt.

“Now, get down here and get your well-deserved kiss, you.” She tugged him down into what looked to be a very appreciative kiss, and I stepped back. I hoped no one noticed my skin turning green and I realized I’d be happy to find someone who would love me half as much as I knew Elz loved Devon.

 

 

We entered the breakfast room, where Rocco, Olivia, and Reed were seated at the table, already eating, and Griffin and Jaymi were at the buffet.

Jaymi looked lost in thought, staring down at the considerable selection of food. She seemed to be ignoring the eggs, bread, and fruit as her eyes wandered to the diverse assortment of buffalo meats Pow referred to earlier in the kitchen as peppered bacon, breakfast sausage, and western links. She spied the narrow dish that held an extra-large bratwurst sausage. I didn’t know what went through her mind, but she flushed the color of the raspberries on the buffet. To my surprise, she didn’t look away—she continued gazing down at it. I assumed she had no appetite since her plate was empty, but considering the amount of time she was giving that one large sausage, I wondered if her appetite was perhaps tugging her in another direction.

Griffin chuckled. “If you want the big one, Jaymi, just grab it. It won’t bite you.”

Her eyes crashed into the clever gaze of her ornery friend as he cast her a wide grin. “Here, let me help you.” He stabbed the large brat with his fork and plopped it onto her plate.

Jaymi was unaware that Devon, Elz, and I had entered the room until Rocco bid us good morning at that same moment. She whirled around, causing the swollen sausage to take flight and soar onto the floor, bouncing before rolling to a stop directly at my feet.

Griffin laughed…loudly, and Jaymi’s face burst into a visible flame when I looked up from the bratwurst at my feet to meet her gaze. That flame seemed to move down her whole body, and she looked as though it was to her everlasting humiliation when I bent over and picked up the tight-skinned meat, allowing it to dangle from my thumb and forefinger.

Holding nothing but an empty plate streaked with skid marks of brat grease, Jaymi appeared to want to sink under the table. When I eyeballed the heavy meat still hanging from my fingers and grinned at her, working my brows, I got the distinct feeling she’d just decided she could have more easily died.

Albert rushed forward with two napkins, taking the oversized brat with one and handing the other to me. I wiped the grease from my fingers, still grinning at Jaymi. Jaymi’s mouth fell open, and she whirled back to the buffet, slapped a piece of bacon on a biscuit, and hurried over to sink into what must have been her usual seat.

A few minutes passed, and I turned with a full plate toward the roomy table to sit, as well. Having every intention of staying as far away from Jaymi as was politely possible, I walked all the way around to the other side of the table. “Is this chair taken?”

Jaymi lifted her gaze to mine. “Um…no, it’s all yours.”

My excuse? I really should lend Jaymi my support. She had been embarrassed at the earlier incident, and my actions hadn’t helped matters. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t show her my favor and attention now? Excuse, excuse, excuse, and there I stood.

Well, so much for propriety—I could see that I would, from that day forward, find myself frequently making such excuses just to be near her. Judging by the way I felt at the moment, I could imagine that my flirtations would far exceed the bounds of social correctness.

 

 

With the dishes cleared, everyone still sat, visiting, at the table. Olivia put forth the question of what the four of us planned to do for the summer. Mulling over a few suggestions, we all settled on Jaymi’s proposal. We would go to Casa Sul Lago in Florida to visit her grandparents, Chaffy and Barb Lighthouse, the parents of her father, Daniel.

Casa Sul Lago was the name of Jaymi’s grandparents’ home, and the place Devon and Elz had first become aware of their love for one another. It was there Elz had ridden the water scooter the first time Devon called her to him through the glass. The four of us secretly thought of that fact and agreed it would be a perfect place to spend our first weeks together.

Evidently it was a large mansion on a big lake near Orlando. Jaymi expressed that her grandparents had other homes, but this was the estate in which they took most pleasure since it was on a lake that allowed recreation—one of their greatest enjoyments. She said they were definitely lake people and that they had all the fun toys to be able to really enjoy lake living.

Jaymi phoned her grandfather, who was overjoyed at our plans. He told her he’d call his pilot in Boston and have his jet readied to take us right away. At that news, the four of us hustled off to pack.

As we prepared to leave Bainbridge, Elz requested that her family tell no one where we would be, not wanting any trouble from Grant Hollister.