Travis was looking hard at the man. He was short and solidly built, and he seemed to be scowling. “This is my friend T ravis”—she hesitated—“Merritt, and I was telling him about your new store. Is that big room you were going to use for Jecca still empty?” Joe was looking at T ravis. His father must be tall, he thought, as the boy was, but his resemblance to Lucy was uncanny . It was a moment before Joe realized that T ravis was holding out his hand to shake. Joe took it and k ept looking in the boy’ s eyes. When T ravis pulled his hand away , Joe felt the calluses. “Y ou in construction?” “No,” T ravis said. “Just a misspent life.” “He was a Hollywood stuntman,” Kim said. “That right? What tricks can you do?” “Get shot, mostly ,” Travis said. “I’m the guy in the police uniform who gets killed by the bad guy . I’ve been killed four times in the same movie. Low budget.” “You’d think that as pretty as you are that you’d be the star of the picture,” Joe said. Travis laughed. “I agree. I even suggested that to a director , so he gave me a screen test. The verdict was that I have no acting talent at all.” “Why would that stop you from being a star?” Joe asked, his face serious. “Beats me,” T ravis said. “But anyway , I never liked sitting around in a trailer doing nothing. What’ s this job you need done?” “Manager ,” Joe said. “I need someone to look after the place so I have time to spend with my girls.” “Girls?” T ravis asked and his smile disappeared. “Maybe we could—” Kim began. “My daughter and my intended,” Joe said. “Y ou think you could handle the job? Y ou need to know a lot about tools.” “Travis knows about . . .” Kim began but hesitated. “Balloons,” she said at last. Both men looked at her . “You the guy that got that kid’ s balloon out of the tree?” “Yes,” Travis said, “but I didn’ t think it would be known all over town so fast.” “The sherif f stopped by .” Joe nodded toward the doorway to the other side of the building. “Y ou want to see Jecca’ s studio?”
“Yes, we would,” Kim said, and they followed Joe. “What do you think?” Kim asked T ravis. They were in a booth in a little restaurant of f the road into W illiamsbur g, eating dinner . “About what?” he asked as he toyed with his fork. “Opening a sporting goods store?” Travis took his time answering. “I liked him.” “Mr. Layton? Of course. He’ s a nice man. And he was certainly taken with you . I couldn’ t believe he was asking your opinion about his finances.” “Me neither . You don’ t think he knows . . .” “That you’re Lucy’ s son? How could he?” “I’ve been told that I look like my mother , so maybe he recognized me.” “Since I’ve never seen your mother , at least not clearly anyway , I wouldn’ t know.” Kim looked at him, at his dark brows like gull wings over his eyes, at his jawline with its dark whiskers just under the skin. She couldn’ t imagine that anyone as masculine-looking as he was could resemble any female. What T ravis saw in her eyes made him want to reach across the table and drag her to him. She had a pretty mouth that he’d very much like to kiss. When his mother ’s words rang in his head, he looked away . He didn’ t know where his life was going and it wasn’ t fair of him to pull Kim in with him. Kim had seen the glow in his eyes, had felt the spark between them—but then he’d turned away . For some reason she didn’ t understand, he wasn’ t allowing the attraction between them. The normal, sexual pull that men and women felt for each other was being stomped down by him. So be it, she thought. Friends is what he’d said and friends is what they were going to be. But she couldn’ t help the anger that rose in her . Was there someone else in his life? Had he decided that a small town girl wasn’ t good enough for him? Or was it that he just couldn’ t see her as anything but a child? Whatever it was, she didn’ t like it one little bit. “You mind if I make a phone call?” she asked in the sweetest voice she could muster . It looked like in her case, the old adage about a woman scorned was true. “No, go ahead. Y ou want some privacy?”
“No, it’ll just take a moment. I’m sure he’ s working.” “He?” “Dave, my boyfriend.” Travis nearly choked on the bite he’d just taken. “Boyfriend?” Kim started to speak, but then Dave answered. “Hey, babe, what’ s up?” he asked. Kim held the phone away from her ear so Dave’ s voice could be heard. “I was wondering if you had any ideas about what to pack for this weekend. Is this B&B formal? Should I take a long dress?” “I don’t know,” Dave said. “Y ou found the place, but I can tell you that I’m not taking my tux. I have to wear it too often at work. Hey! Why don’ t we solve the dilemma by having dinner in bed every night?” Kim was smiling as she looked at T ravis. His eyes were wide, as though he couldn’ t believe what he was hearing. “I thought breakfast in bed was more usual.” Her voice was low , sexy—the same one she’d heard T ravis use with women. W omen other than her . “How about if we compromise and do them both in bed?” Dave’ s voice was low . “What in the world would we do for lunch?” she asked innocently . “You’re the creative one, so I’ll let you figure that out. I gotta go. W e’re loading the truck for a dinner party . See you Friday at two. And Kim?” “Yes?” “Don’t pack anything to wear at night.” Laughing, she hung up, put her phone away , then took a long sip of her drink. Travis was staring at her . He hadn’ t moved a muscle since she opened her phone. “Boyfriend?” he said at last, his voice close to a whisper . “Yes. What’ s wrong? Don’ t you like your sandwich? W e could get something else. Y ou want me to call the waitress?” “The food is fine. Since when do you have a boyfriend?” “Dave and I have been together for six months now .” She smiled at him. “I think it’ s serious.” “Serious as in how?” She gave a one-shouldered shrug. “The usual. Why are you looking at me like that?” “I’m just surprised is all. I didn’ t realize there was someone . . . important in your life.”
“Please tell me that you didn’ t assume that since I live in a small town that I was . . . What? W aiting for some big city man to come and rescue me? Not quite.” “Actually ,” he said, “I thought maybe the wedding going on when I arrived was yours.” If Kim had had any doubts that their relationship was only friendship, it vanished with that statement. He didn’ t seem bothered that he’d thought she was about to get married. But why should he? They hardly knew each other , and he’d made it clear that in three weeks he was leaving. “So what about you? Anyone special in your life?” “I don’t know . . .” he said. It hadn’ t occurred to him that Kim had a boyfriend, certainly not one that she called “serious.” “You don’ t know if there’ s a woman in your life? If there is and you two need wedding rings, I can design and make them for you. Are you ready to go?” “Sure,” T ravis said, but he hadn’ t recovered from the blow . He didn’ t know what he’d imagined, but Kim talking of meals in bed with another man hadn’ t been part of it. He put money on the table and walked out of the diner behind Kim. A pretty young woman smiled at him, but T ravis paid no attention to her . Kim got behind the wheel of her car . “I have work to do at home,” she said, her voice cool. “Have I made you angry?” “Of course not. What would I be angry about?” She wanted to yell at him. He flirted with other women but looked at her as though she were his sister—or an eight-year -old girl. She took a de ep breath and when she let it out, she released her anger . It wasn’t fair of her to be angry because he wasn’ t attracted to her . How many times had men come on to her but she’d shot them down? At least once a week some man came into her shop and let her know that he was available. Sometimes his wife would be standing three feet away . You really can’ t control sexual attraction, she thought. Y ou either felt it or you didn’ t. She’d thought she felt it coming from T ravis, but it looked like she was wrong. He’d been very clear that he wanted and needed friendship, so that’ s what she was going to give him. “How serious are you with this man?”
Think of him as a girlfriend, Kim thought. Don’ t look at him, don’ t get pulled in by the smoldering good looks of him. He’ s a buddy , a friend, and nothing else. “I think it may be permanent,” she said. “Carla giggles every time she mentions this weekend, and one of my best rings is missing from the case. A big sapphire. I can’ t find the receipt and when I asked her about it she said . . . I don’ t remember her excuse, but the register receipt isn’ t there.” “You don’ t seem worried that this Carla could have stolen it. I guess that means you think this guy is going to give you one of your own rings. As an engagement ring?” “Maybe,” Kim said. “What was it about a B&B?” “My cousin Luke’ s wife, Jocelyn, has been doing the genealogy of the seven founding families of Edilean, but there’ s a gap in the Aldredge family. A female ancestor of mine went to a place called Janes Creek, Maryland, in the 1890 s and came back pregnant. Joce wants to try to find who the father was. But she has two little kids, so she asked me to go up there and see what I could find out.” “And this man is going with you?” “Yes,” Kim said. “Dave owns a catering company and weekends are his busiest time. He’ s had to pay his employees a lot to cover for him this coming weekend.” “That he’ s taking of f and that a ring and its sales receipt are missing is what makes you think he’ s going to . . . What? Ask you to marry him?” Kim could again feel anger rising in her , but she stamped it down. She pulled into her driveway , turned of f the engine, and looked at him. “There is also the fact that Dave is mad about me. W e spend every day he’ s off work together . We call each other . We talk about our future together .” “Future? What does that mean?” “Travis, I really don’ t like this inquisition. I agreed to help you with your mother and I will, but I’d just as soon ke ep my private life to myself.” She got out and went into the house. Travis stayed in the car , too stunned to move. Kim was about to acc ept a marriage proposal from some man who ran a catering company! How could he have ever been so wrong about a person? He’d thought that she was, well, interested in him !
He flipped open his phone and punched the button to reach Penny . As soon as she answered he said, “I need to know about a man named Dave, don’t know his last name. Lives in a city around Edilean, owns a food catering company . He’s registered for this weekend at a B&B in Janes Creek, Maryland. I want to know everything about him, and I mean everything .” “Should I cancel the B&B?” Penny asked. “Yes! No. Book me a connecting room. And fill up all the other rooms. In fact, fill up all the rooms in the entire town.” “Any choice of guests? Leslie has been calling.” For a moment T ravis thought of inviting her . He didn’ t know whether he was angry at Kim or jealous or . . . well, hurt. Whatever he was feeling, he didn’t think Leslie’ s presence would help. “She’d probably love Miss Aldredge’ s jewelry store,” Penny said into the silence. When T ravis didn’ t r eply, she said, “Life isn’ t so easy without the Maxwell name, is it?” Her words came too close to home for T ravis’s comfort. “Just put some people in the rooms. Y our relatives.” It occurred to him that he knew nothing about Penny’ s personal life. “Do you . . . ?” “Have relatives?” she filled in for him. “Y es I do. Rather a lot of them, actually . My son is your age. I’ll e-mail you what I have,” she added and for the first time ever , she hung up first. Travis closed his phone and stared at it for a moment. This was a day for surprises! Kim was about to acc ept a marriage proposal and his faithful right-hand man, Penny , had a son T ravis’s age. At the moment he thought of returning to New Y ork and going back to destroying people’ s lives. It played less havoc with his emotions. He got out of Kim’ s car and wasn’ t sure what to do. Go inside and talk to her? About what? Ask her to give up her boyfriend in case she and T ravis felt something for each other and maybe someday he’d sort out his life and they might possibly get together? Not exactly something any female would acc ept. Certainly not one like Kim who’d known what she wanted since she was a kid. She was making jewelry at eight and at twenty-six she was still doing it. “And I haven’ t decided—” he said aloud, but he didn’ t want to finish that statement. He saw that Kim had turned the lights on in her garage, which meant that she was working. He didn’ t like to be disturbed when he was
working, so maybe she didn’ t either. Besides, he didn’ t know what to say to her. He walked around the house to get to the guesthouse and went to bed. Oceanof PDF . com
Tra Yis had a sle epless night, and when he awoke the next morning, Kim had already gone to work. His car , the old BMW Penny had bought for him, was in the driveway . He wanted to see Kim. But if he did see her , he didn’ t know what he’d say . His system was still shocked at the news that she had a boyfriend. A “serious” boyfriend. Without thinking what he was doing, T ravis got into his car and started driving. His first impulse was to do something physical. That’ s what he did when his father demanded too much of him. Climb, run, drive, ski, surf, skate. It didn’ t matter what he did as long as it left him too tired to think. But he didn’ t drive into the preserve, didn’ t seek out a lake or a clif f. Instead, he found himself pulling into the parking lot of Joe Layton’ s hardware store. He sat in the car , looking at the brick front and wondering what the hell he was doing there. When someone opened the car door , he wasn’ t surprised to see Joe. “You’re just in time. I need to check inventory . You open the boxes, pull the stuf f out, and I’ll mark it of f on the papers.” “I need to . . .” T ravis couldn’ t think of anyplace he needed to be. “Sure. But I warn you that I don’ t know a saw from a hammer .” “I do, so we’ll be fine.” Joe held the door open while T ravis got his long body out. “Y esterday you looked happy . Now you look like the world came crashing down on you. Kim throw you out?” Travis wasn’ t used to revealing his thoughts and certainly not his feelings to people, and he had no intention of starting. But maybe unloading boxes of tools would help him release some ener gy.