A Decent Proposal (12 page)

“In twenty-five words or less I have a deep and personal bond with it that is both celebratory and therapeutic.”

“Huh?” Liam looked at her as if she was speaking in an obscure foreign dialect.

“I think that means she likes it when she's happy and uses it as a coping mechanism when she's sad.”

“Very intuitive of you, Mr. Holden,” she mused.

“Does that mean we can get some?” Liam demanded.

She and Burke grinned at each other and said, “Yes.”

“Okay, I'm finished,” the boy said. He crammed the last chicken tender in his mouth and mumbled, “What are we waiting for?”

“The check,” Syd reminded him.

“Oh, right.”

Burke signaled the server, who brought the bill over, along with a plastic grizzly bear toy and a T-shirt for Liam.

Syd was glad they were finally getting ready to vacate the small booth. She'd been in this place a bazillion times and sat everywhere, always with plenty of room. This was her second time sitting beside Burke with legs, thighs and arms brushing, and her reaction was the same. She was hot all over and ice cream would help cool her off.

Besides, she liked hanging out with Liam and his father. They were friends, but she would breathe easier if she could be his friend with a generous buffer zone around them when hanging out.

After paying the check at the register, they walked outside—Liam first while Burke held the door for her. That was nice. A gentleman as always. Burke clearly didn't like being compared to his father, but Walker was a courtly man and it was likely his son had picked up the trait from him.

They headed down the street past Tonya's Treasures, the town souvenir-and-gift shop. Beyond it was the ice cream parlor and The Harvest Café, which shared a connecting door and were now both Maggie's businesses. The latter had once been a dry cleaning store, but the owners had let the lease run out. They retired and moved to California to be near their grandkids. Maggie Potter and her partner, Lucy Bishop, seemed to have the business under control.

When they reached Maggie's, Burke opened the door and Liam started to go in. He put his hand on the boy's shoulder to stop him and said, “Ladies first, pal.”

Syd's heart actually fluttered as she passed without actually brushing up against him. So much for her buffer-zone theory. “Thanks.”

“My pleasure.” His voice went husky on the last word, giving a hint to his thoughts.

The interior of the ice cream parlor was cheerful and bright. Pictures on the walls were of ice-cream scoops, sundaes, shakes and cakes. Some with sprinkles, others with whipped cream and a cherry. There were small, round tables filling the center of the room and metal chairs with heart-shaped backs and red padded seats.

Syd walked over to the glass display case, surprised to see Maggie behind it. Her friend had an office upstairs over the café, where she worked keeping the books and ordering supplies. Manning The Harvest Café counter was handled by her partner, and normally a part-time high-school kid was here in the evening on the ice cream side. But not tonight.

“Hi, Maggie. What are you doing here?”

“Taylor broke her wrist at cheerleading practice. It's kind of important to be able to use it when scooping ice cream. Couldn't find anyone to fill in on such short notice. Most important—she'll be fine.”

“Where's Danielle?”

“She's with my tenant, Josie.”

Syd remembered her friend explaining about renting out one of her upstairs bedrooms to her friend for the extra income. Another bonus, apparently, was child care for emergency situations like this.

“Hi, Maggie. This is my son, Liam.” Burke came up behind Syd. She could feel the heat from his body and shivered at the closeness.

“Hi.” Maggie bent down and looked through the glass because she couldn't see over it. “Nice to meet you.”

The boy waved in response. “Do you get all the ice cream you can eat?”

“Liam,” Burke said, “that's not an appropriate question.”

“It's okay.” Maggie laughed. “If he asked how much I weigh or my age, that would be inappropriate. And the answer is yes, I own the place and can eat as much as I want. But you'd be surprised how fast you get tired of ice cream.”

“No way.” Father and son spoke together and with great feeling.

Syd laughed and wondered if Burke realized how alike the two of them were, how much they had in common. The father had come a long way since the boy had come to live with him.

“What can I get you?” Maggie asked.

It was obvious that Liam knew exactly what he wanted because he immediately ordered a scoop of cookies-and-cream, and another of chocolate caramel with whipped cream, nuts and a cherry.

“A man who knows his own mind. Coming right up.” Maggie put it together and handed over the cup at the low counter by the cash register.

“Thanks,” the boy said politely, then took his dessert to a table to start eating before it melted.

“Syd? The usual?” Maggie asked.

“Of course.”

Burke arched one eyebrow. “One of the many small-town-living perks is that your ice-cream preference is not a secret. But if you got wild with a scoop of peanut butter and bubble gum, people would talk.”

“It's true.” She took the waffle cone with vanilla ice cream that Maggie handed her and tasted it. “So good.”

When Burke ordered two scoops of rocky road, Syd wondered if there was any deeper psychological meaning in the choice. Then he made sure Maggie knew he wanted it “neat.”

She pulled a cup from the stack on the counter. “I'm guessing that means no topping or embellishment of any kind?”

“I'm a simple man.”

Syd could have argued that point until hell wouldn't have it, but decided to keep the thoughts to herself. Again Burke paid and they sat with Liam at a table in the center of the room to eat.

The bell over the door rang and in came her father and Loretta Goodson, hand in hand. They were smiling at each other, clearly in love, and Syd felt a rush of conflicting emotion. She was happy for them, of course, but there was a darker feeling, too, something very close to envy. She felt like a selfish toad.

“Hey,” Liam said when he saw who it was. “Over here.”

The newcomers tore their gazes from each other and glanced at the table. Tom waved. “Great minds think alike. Can we join you?”

“We'll make room.” Liam jumped up and pulled over two chairs from another table.

Burke slid closer to Syd, closer than he'd been at the diner. It was cozy. She'd be lying if she said it wasn't nice. And it was the death blow to her fantasy that a buffer zone would make her attraction to the man harmless.

In a few minutes the older couple sat in the chairs between Burke and Liam.

“Madam Mayor, I don't think you've met my son. Liam, this is Mayor Goodson.”

“It's great to meet you.” The mayor started to shake his hand, then laughed. “Mine are sticky.”

“Me, too.” Liam grinned.

“It's becoming a family affair,” Loretta said. “It was nice to meet your father and cousin. I hope they feel it was worth the trip here. The unscheduled visit saved a lot of time.”

“How so?” Syd asked.

“The resort's overall concept in their rough draft was unacceptable, and the town council agrees.” The mayor took a bite of ice cream, then swallowed. “You were right, Burke. The buildings were modern and sleek, which would be fine somewhere else. But we were looking for quaint and charming. Sort of sophisticated mountain getaway.”

Burke nodded. “You can thank Syd.”

“Me?” She nearly choked on her waffle cone. “What did I do?”

“You tutored me in what's best for Blackwater Lake.”

“We never discussed architectural design,” she protested.

“True,” he agreed. “But you told me what the town stands for and the values of folks who live here. I just knew sleek and modern wasn't it.”

“I'm surprised you're that perceptive,” Syd commented. “No offense.”

“None taken. And, for the record, I'm usually not that astute. But your commitment to this community is inspiring.”

“That's my girl.” Her father looked proud.

“I'm going to work with Ellie on a new concept. We'll get it right.”

Loretta nodded her approval. “Ellie's good. But you have to know we'll keep an eye on everything.”

“I'd expect nothing less,” he said. “But you can trust me not to mess it up.”

Syd wasn't so sure the same could be said of her and she didn't mean building a mountain resort. The misgivings were all about herself. His admission about being perceptive with her had come out of the blue and she didn't want to believe it. If she did, going all in with her heart was a real possibility.

Earlier she'd noticed that he'd come a long way from the stressed-out father who'd been forced by circumstances to bring his son here. But that was no guarantee he'd changed his mind about a family. Or any other commitment.

If she let in the notion of him being different with her, that opened up a very real possibility of her getting hurt. Something that never occurred to her when she'd started this whole thing.

Chapter Twelve

S
ydney walked into the Fireside Restaurant at Blackwater Lake Lodge and Burke thought she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. It wasn't boasting to say that a man in his position had been around some of the most stunning women on the planet, but none of them could hold a candle to Sydney McKnight. Her long dark hair gleamed even in subdued restaurant lighting and fell past her shoulders like silk.

No little black dress tonight—it was sexy black slacks instead. Her top was sheer chiffon with a camisole underneath. Four-inch platform heels made her legs look a mile long, but mostly he couldn't shake the image of them wrapped around his waist.

That thought made him ache with need.

He'd been wanting to have her to himself ever since that night he'd taken her home and nearly ended up in her bed. With Liam here there hadn't been an opportunity for a second chance, but tonight was the night. Hopefully. There had been a look in her dark eyes that he'd swear was a longing that matched his own and that wasn't ego talking, either, just experience.

When the restaurant hostess pointed out the table where he waited, Syd gave him a big smile, then shook her head at something the woman said before walking over to him.

Burke stood to greet her. He fully intended to give her a friendly peck on the cheek, but somehow his lips found their way to hers. And breaking off the contact took more willpower than he would have imagined.

“Hi.” He took her hands in his own and squeezed.

“Hi.” She seemed a little winded and it had to be from the kiss. No way could she have run fast enough in those heels to be out of breath.

Burke pulled out the chair at a right angle to his and held it for her to sit. When she was settled, he sat down beside her, wishing they were as close as a few nights ago at the ice cream parlor with her father and the mayor, when their thighs had brushed repeatedly. It was the most intimately he'd been able to touch her for far too long.

“I'm glad you were free for dinner,” he said.

“Boy, were you lucky I wasn't tied up,” she teased. “My social calendar is just packed. I couldn't get another engagement in if I used a shoehorn.”

“Very funny.” He signaled the waiter to bring over two glasses and the bottle of wine he'd already ordered. “I bare my soul and look what happens.”

“You called because you were at loose ends with Liam sleeping over at Todd's house.” She gave him a wry look. “If there was any soul-baring going on, I missed it. And that's a shame. I would have liked some souvenir pictures.”

“You mock me. That hurts,” he said, trying to look deeply wounded.

After the bottle was uncorked, the waiter poured a small amount for Burke and waited for his approval before filling Syd's wineglass. “I'll bring bread,” he said. “Is there anything else I can get for you right now?”

“Not at the moment,” Burke answered. “We'll order in a little while.”

When they were alone he held up his glass. “What should we drink to?”

“I don't know. You decide.”

He thought for a moment then said, “Here's to my good fortune that you had an opening in your busy social calendar for a lonely bachelor.”

She looked sympathetic before nodding her approval. “To that.”

“How was your day?” He sipped from his glass, then set it down and looked at her.

“Busy. Folks are getting their cars ready for winter. It's already October and before you know it the cold weather will be here. There are a lot of tune-ups and inquiries about snow tires.”

He wondered if the winter was more brutal here than in Chicago. Being more rural than urban would pose different weather-related challenges. “It is getting to be that time of the year.”

“Yeah. If I had my way, I'd winter in Tahiti.”

“You don't like the cold?” he asked.

“If you polled people, I don't think you'd find many checking the ‘love it' box on the questionnaire.”

“Do you go somewhere tropical to get a break and thaw out?” He would love to take her to Tahiti. Seeing her in a bikini... Now there was a souvenir picture. Or out of it—even better.

“I keep threatening to go to Hawaii or Florida.”

“Why haven't you?”

“I didn't want to leave my dad alone.” She shrugged.

“Now you know he has...companionship,” he said diplomatically.

She gave him a warning look. “Don't even hint about them sleeping together. I don't ever want that thought in my head because I'll never get it out.”

“Didn't one of your brothers stop by his house unexpectedly and find them in a compromising situation—”

“Burke—” There was a warning expression in her eyes and the tone in her voice threatened serious consequences.

He would take his chances. “Your brothers must be proud. His...athleticism...bodes well for them as they get older.”

“One more word and I'll put my hands over my ears and start humming.” The way her full lips twitched hinted that she wasn't as bothered by this topic of conversation as she pretended.

“Okay, I'll be good.”

Tilting her head to the side in a little bit of a flirt, she said, “Not too good.”

“Time will tell.”

There was a look in her eyes that promised heaven. Dear God, she was going to kill him.

“My point in bringing up your father's...situation...is that you don't have to feel as if he needs someone to look out for him.”

“It's a difficult habit to break,” she admitted.

“A midwinter trip to Bora-Bora would be a good start. You should go with a friend.”

“Getting away isn't easy for most people.” She toyed with her wineglass. “And the airport is pretty far. It's a particular challenge in a blizzard.”

“Pretty soon there will be an airport closer. And those are just excuses.” Burke studied her. “You're lonely, too, aren't you?”

Her gaze snapped to his. “I didn't say that.”

“You didn't have to. Takes one to know one.”

Without conceding the truth of his out-of-the-box statement, she made one of her own. “So, you're pretty hostile to your father.”

And he'd been so careful to keep it from showing. “What gave me away?”

“Pretty much everything.” She reached beneath the cloth napkin covering the bread and pulled out a crusty roll, then put it on her small plate. After sliding a pat of butter beside it, she met his gaze. “It was little things. The way your eyes got angry when you looked at him. A tone when you talked. Irritated, I guess, at anything he said, no matter how harmless. And body language—your shoulders tensed. Or you almost winced every time Walker opened his mouth.”

He wasn't sure which was worse—that he felt antagonistic toward his father or that she was dead-on about it. “Wow.”

“You didn't tell me I'm wrong.” She broke a piece off the roll, buttered it and popped the morsel into her mouth.

He could dance around it. He usually did. But for some reason, he wanted her to know he had a good reason for feeling the way he did.

“I guess I never got over the way he acted after my mother died,” he admitted. “And he wasn't around a whole lot when she was battling breast cancer.”

The teasing challenge in her eyes was chased away by sympathy. She reached over and covered his hand with her own. “I'm sorry, Burke. That must have been so difficult.”

“That means a lot coming from you. You never even knew your mother.” He turned his hand over and linked his fingers with hers.

“It was different for me because she was never part of my life so I didn't feel the emptiness when she was gone. I guess I envied my friends who had moms, but people here in Blackwater Lake filled in.”

“How?”

“Maggie's mom took me for my first bra. If I needed a dress for prom, there was always a woman to help. Dad told me about sex and all that.” She grinned. “It was an experience. For us both.”

“I bet.”

“My point is that you can't miss what you didn't have. But you lost your mother at such a vulnerable age.” Empathy shimmered in her eyes.

“Yeah.” It had been the loneliest time in his life. “My father went right back to work. He was always busy, but after the funeral it was like busy on steroids.”

“And you're angry about that.”

“Let me count the ways.” He tried to smile but it didn't happen. “He never showed up for anything going on in my life. Holidays were hit-and-miss. It was like losing both parents at the same time.”

“Oh, Burke—” She sighed and squeezed his hand. “I was too little to remember how dad was after losing my mother. But people who were there say he buried himself in work because he couldn't deal with the grief, but everyone knew he loved her very much. Plus he had to make a living with three mouths to feed. Maybe men handle loss by burying their feelings in something familiar and not talking about it.”

“Maybe.”

But Burke wasn't ready to let go of the resentment. It hit him again when his own son was born and he had no role model to draw from. Mostly he tried to do the opposite of what his father had done, but somehow he'd fallen into the workaholic pattern.

“I couldn't help noticing that Liam is genuinely fond of his grandfather. And vice versa. There must be a reason. Kids aren't easily fooled.” She thought for a moment. “And here's a radical thought. It might help to talk about your feelings with Walker.”

“Maybe,” he said again.

But he was thinking hell would freeze over before that happened. And the attitude must have shown in his voice and body language because Syd nodded but didn't say more about that.

“I also noticed that Liam seems to be settling in nicely.”

“He's...adjusting.” He appreciated the topic change and suspected she'd purposely steered the conversation in a more positive direction. “Better than I thought he would.”

“Has it occurred to you that settling in wouldn't have gone so well if you're as bad a father as you seem to think?”

“No, it never did. I think any credit goes to you, your dad and the school.”

She shook her head in faux frustration. “For an intelligent man you're not so smart about some stuff.”

“Like what?”

“You're a single dad and Liam is a great kid. Work is demanding so others have to fill in, but he spends more time with you than anyone. Something positive you're doing must be rubbing off on him.”

Burke wasn't completely convinced, but admitted, if only to himself, that there could be some truth in what she said.

“Are you hungry?” he asked.

“Starved.”

He signaled the waiter to bring menus. “Then we should order.”

“Sounds good to me.”

He planned to do as many courses as possible to keep her here. Saying goodbye after dinner with her always seemed to come too soon and he was never ready. Idly he wondered if that feeling would ever go away.

* * *

Syd was having a wonderful time and it felt as if they'd occupied the intimate corner table for two at Fireside for minutes instead of hours. Wine, salad, entrées, dessert and after-dinner drinks had been consumed and Burke was signing the check.

But she wasn't ready for the evening to end.

He put the pen inside the leather holder with the bill, then looked at her. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yes,” she lied.

They stood and he waited for her to precede him to the exit. On the way he said good-night to the waiter, server, busboy and hostess, calling each one by their given name. Obviously he'd gotten to know them, but she supposed that happened when one lived in a hotel.

He settled his hand at the small of her back and the contact touched off a chain reaction of nerve endings that sensitized every inch of her skin. She wanted to snuggle in closer but resisted. There was nothing more awkward than being obvious about wanting someone and getting the message that they didn't share your feelings. Burke would have to make the first move.

Just before stepping from the privacy of the long hallway into the lodge's lobby, Burke stopped and looked down. “I had a really good time tonight.”

“Me, too.”

“Tomorrow is Saturday.”

“You're kidding.” She pretended shock and surprise. “Really? I had no idea.”

“Let me rephrase.” He looked down for a moment, then met her gaze. “I don't have to work. Do you?”

“I do, as a matter of fact. Saturday is busy at the garage.” Syd's heart beat a little faster as she had a hunch where he was going with this.

“Oh. Then you don't want to be out too late.”

“A girl has to get her beauty rest,” she agreed.

He put his palm flat on the wall beside her and moved closer, trapping her in the best possible way against his body. “If you were any more beautiful, that face would have to be registered as a lethal weapon with the sheriff's office.”

Her heart started to beat even faster as his look went from lazy to lusty in a nanosecond. “So...” She swallowed once. “Wild guess here...you don't want to say good-night yet?”

“You're very perceptive.” He gently brushed the hair from her cheek, then traced his index finger along her jaw.

“We should take a walk.” She glanced down at her feet. “Although I don't know how far I'd get in these shoes.”

“That depends on where you want to go.” His voice was a ragged whisper.

Her heart skipped a beat, then kicked in again, hammering harder than ever. “I'd crawl on my hands and knees if necessary. Depending on the destination.”

The corners of his mouth curved up as his gaze danced over her face. Then he lowered his head and kissed her. His lips were soft, warm, coaxing and caressing. Pressing his body even closer to hers, he let her know he wanted her.

Tracing her lips with his tongue, he teased her mouth open then slipped inside. He tasted good, she thought, like wine and the chocolate cake they'd just shared. She didn't consciously put her arms around his shoulders, but she suddenly realized they were there. In the blink of an eye she was incredibly turned on and it was a miracle she could think rationally enough to make a point.