At Bluebonnet Lake (Texas Crossroads Book #1): A Novel (24 page)

As she and Sally entered the building, Kate saw the young couple from Seguin who’d joined their table on Saturday, talking to a man. Though the stranger was about the same height as Greg, that was where the similarities ended. This man was blond with blue eyes, a golden tan, and a slightly arrogant tilt to his head. If Kate had been looking for a model for a California surfer ad, she would have used him, although his designer clothes and Rolex told her he probably had no need for another job. The man exuded wealth.

He broke off his conversation, apparently in midsentence judging by the Seguin couple’s expressions, and strode across the floor.

“Good evening, ladies.”

Kate gave him credit for including Sally in the greeting, even though his eyes barely flickered over her. Instead, he seemed to be studying Kate, cataloging her features. It was a decidedly uncomfortable feeling.

“I’m Drew Carroll,” he said. “I’m going to be spending a few
days here. Although,” he added with a smile that did nothing to charm Kate, “if things work out the way I hope, I might extend my reservation.”

“I’m certain the Sinclairs will appreciate that,” she said. For a second, she hadn’t recognized the name, but now she was almost certain that Drew Carroll was Greg’s partner. Former partner, Kate amended, as she wondered why he was here. Despite the appraising looks he was giving her, she knew she was not the reason he’d come to Rainbow’s End.

“What about you? Would you be glad?”

The voice was charming, although it rang a bit false to Kate. The smile was broad and seemingly genuine, and yet she did not trust it. Not for a second. Kate tried not to frown as her mind whirled. Surely this couldn’t have been Greg’s partner. The name was right, but not the personality. If Kate had been asked to pick someone who was the exact opposite of Greg, this would have been the man.

“I’m always happy to see more guests here, Mr. Carroll,” she said, hoping her formality would tell Drew Carroll she had no interest in him. “Please let me introduce my grandmother, Sally Fuller. And I’m Kate Sherwood.”

Before she knew what he was doing, Drew hooked arms with both of them and turned toward the table. “Shall we sit down?”

And so Kate found herself seated next to Drew instead of Greg. The man tried to monopolize the conversation, and when Sally pointedly turned her back and began to talk to Roy, Drew began what could only be called a blatant flirtation with Kate.

Short of being rude, she couldn’t ignore him, so Kate kept her replies brief, hoping he’d take the hint and talk to Greg, who sat on his other side. But Drew did not take the hint. He seemed oblivious to Kate’s lack of interest and continued talking about himself and his life in California, ending with an invitation for Kate to visit him there. When she told him she would be much
too busy to even consider a trip, he acted as if she’d accepted the invitation.

Had no one said no to him before? Kate masked a frown as she took another bite of Carmen’s delicious chicken fricassee. In all likelihood, ever since he’d become a multimillionaire, Drew Carroll had gotten almost everything he wanted. That was sad.

B
reakfast was quiet. The Seguin couple was leaving when Kate and Sally arrived, and there was no sign of Drew, a fact for which Kate gave thanks. She hadn’t thought it possible that one person could upset the dynamics of a resort so easily, but Drew had done exactly that. He’d remained at her side after supper, interrupting whenever Greg spoke. Though the man was unspeakably rude, Kate did not want to descend to his level, and so, though she would have preferred her nightly walk with Greg, she had proposed a game of Clue with Sally and Roy.

Kate had smiled when they reached the main lodge and, though the night was far from cold by New Jersey standards, Roy suggested a fire. He and Greg built a roaring one while Drew tried to impress Kate and Sally with the people he knew. Though Sally did nothing more than nod politely, Kate could see that she was not impressed. For her part, Kate was more impressed when Greg convinced Carmen that popcorn would be the perfect accompaniment to the gradual unraveling of a murder mystery.

“Unfortunately it’s not caramel corn,” he said softly as he
handed Kate a bowl and a pile of paper napkins. The crooked smile that punctuated his words warmed her more than the fire, because it brought back memories of the bluebonnet festival and told her Greg shared those fond memories.

Kate watched the way Drew interacted with the others and marveled at the fact that he had been the customer contact for Sys=Simpl. What was even more remarkable was that he had somehow convinced Greg that he was the right man to handle all the personnel-related aspects of the company.

It was true that Drew was more forceful than Greg, quicker with repartee, but he also sounded glib. If her money had been at stake, she would have insisted on working with Greg. But perhaps customers had not realized they had a choice. If Greg remained in the background, Drew would have been their primary contact.

The man was handsome; some would call him charming, but he struck Kate as false. Perhaps that was only because she was comparing him to Greg.

It had been an interesting evening. To Kate’s surprise, although Drew seemed a bit ill at ease at the beginning, perhaps because he was unfamiliar with the game, his competitive nature overcame his misgivings, and he was soon an active participant, insisting that the candlestick was the murder weapon. Still, the glint in his eye when he smiled at her made Kate uncomfortable.

She had been equally uncomfortable when he’d insisted on accompanying her to her cabin. Sally must have seen Kate’s uneasiness, because before she knew what was happening, the five of them had walked to Kate and Sally’s cabin. It was a far cry from what Kate had hoped for. She had looked forward to some private time with Greg, perhaps an encore to the previous night’s kiss. Instead she had had to listen to Drew compare Texas to California.

How had Greg managed to work with Drew for so many years? Kate resolved that she would ask Greg when they played tennis. Surely Drew’s presence wouldn’t affect that.

Kate was stirring sweetener into her coffee when Greg entered the dining room. She blinked in surprise, because this was the first time she’d seen him at breakfast. When she’d asked, he’d told her that he ate energy bars before he rowed and jogged, then grabbed a bowl of cereal and some juice at the end of the breakfast hour. The fact that Kate and Sally were usually the first to arrive meant that they missed Greg.

“Kate!” His smile was warm, friendly, and genuine, a marked contrast to his former partner’s. “I was hoping to catch you here.” Greg pulled out the chair next to her. “I hate to do this, but I need to cancel tennis again today.”

Sally looked up from her pancakes. “The court must be dry by now.” There had been no more rain overnight, and the sky was bright, sunny, and unseasonably warm.

“It is,” Greg admitted, “but I want to show Drew around Dupree.” He lowered his voice, though there were no others in the room. “I probably shouldn’t say this, but I hope that’ll convince him to leave.”

“Then you obviously didn’t invite him.” Kate hadn’t believed Greg would, but the thought still niggled at the back of her mind. She had had the impression that he had told no one he was coming here, but somehow Drew had found him.

“Never! I should apologize, though. I’m afraid you saw him at his worst yesterday. Drew’s a good guy. He’s just out of his element here.”

“If you say so.” It would take more than that to convince Kate, especially since Drew’s presence meant she had less time with Greg.

When Greg left, Kate turned to Sally. “Let’s go rowing.” It was one of the things they hadn’t done, and since there was no
need for Kate to rush back to play tennis, they’d have plenty of time today.

Sally nodded. “All right, but we’re not going to Paintbrush Island. You know how I feel about that.”

As it turned out, Sally needn’t have worried. Rowing proved to be much harder than Kate had expected, leaving every muscle in her arms burning with the effort before they were halfway to the island. Greg made it look so easy, but it wasn’t.

Disappointed that she hadn’t been able to take Sally around the entire lake, Kate headed back. When she’d docked the boat and walked the short distance to the gazebo with her grandmother, she glanced at her watch. Still an hour until noon.

“I’m going to see if Carmen has lemonade ready yet.” Her throat could use the cool liquid, and she suspected that Sally would be equally grateful for it.

As she walked down the short hallway to the kitchen, Kate heard Carmen’s voice raised in anger. “The man has got to go. He’s the scum of the earth. He cannot stay here another night.” Her accent was heavier than normal, reminding Kate that English had not been Carmen’s first language.

Though she was tempted to turn around and pretend she hadn’t heard the shouts, Kate’s instincts told her that Carmen needed her. Her words were angry, but Kate heard a deeper note, one that she might have described as anguish, in Carmen’s voice. It reminded Kate of the day Carmen had spoken of her husband’s desertion.

“What’s wrong?” Kate asked as she entered the kitchen. Carmen was standing next to the sink, her hands fisted on her hips in a classic display of anger. Kevin stood a few yards away, one of his hands behind his back. Though Kate was surprised to see him here so early, she remembered that this week was school vacation.

“This is what’s wrong!” Carmen strode to Kevin’s side and
yanked his arm, revealing a whiskey bottle. “Kevin found it when he emptied that man’s trash this morning.” Her face flushed with anger, Carmen continued. “Can he not read? The brochure says liquor is not permitted here. When I tell Angela, she’ll boot him out.”

“How can I help?” Kate wasn’t certain what she could do other than put her arms around Carmen and tell her everything would be all right. But those could be empty promises. Kate doubted Angela would turn away a paying guest, even if he had broken one of the resort’s rules, and she doubted that Drew—for there was no question he was the one who’d inflamed Carmen—would stop drinking simply because Angela or Carmen asked him to. The little time she’d spent with Drew Carroll had convinced Kate that the man did whatever he wanted, with no regard for others.

Carmen shook her head. “I will do it,” she said as, bottle in hand, she headed toward the office.

“Carmen is really upset,” Kate said to Kevin when they were alone in the kitchen. “I know guests aren’t supposed to bring alcohol here, but her reaction seems over the top.”

“There’s a good reason.” A hint of embarrassment colored Kevin’s face. “You wouldn’t know, because you never met Carmen’s husband. Mr. St. George was the town drunk.” When Kate flinched at the blunt term, Kevin shrugged. “No one was supposed to talk about it, but everyone knew. I heard more than one person say it was a good thing when he disappeared, even if it broke Marisa’s heart.”

This was worse than Kate had realized. Mr. St. George’s disappearance was bad enough, but his drinking put a new perspective on Carmen and Marisa’s lives. Though Kate had no firsthand experience with alcoholism, she knew that it could tear families apart. No wonder Carmen was so upset, and no wonder Marisa did not want to return to Dupree.

“That poor family.” Kate’s heart ached for Carmen and her daughter. She wanted to help, but what could she do? A snappy slogan wouldn’t fix this.

“I can see why you’re staying here,” Drew said as Greg steered his SUV through the Rainbow’s End gates and headed for Dupree. “With a chick like Kate around, I’d stay too.”

Greg tried not to bristle. He’d known how Drew would react to Kate. She was an attractive, available young woman, and the fact that she wasn’t Drew’s normal type only added to her appeal. Drew had never been one to resist a challenge. But there was nothing to be gained by jousting with him, so Greg said only, “She’s almost as bad a tennis player as I am.” That might not discourage Drew, but it was worth a try. Drew preferred arm candy who could hold their own on a golf course or tennis court.

“The pro at my club could turn her into a star in a month or so. I just need to convince her to come to the West Coast.” Drew grimaced as he looked around. “I don’t understand why any of you are here. This place is in the middle of nowhere.”

“We call it the Hill Country,” Greg said mildly. “A lot of people think it’s one of the most beautiful places on Earth.”

“Sure thing.” Drew pointed to one of the empty storefronts as they entered Dupree. “When I drove through yesterday, I didn’t see a decent restaurant, and there aren’t even any fast-food places. What do people do here? It looks like one of those towns where the most exciting thing is watching grass grow.”

“It’s definitely not LA or San Francisco.” Since the object of this outing was to convince Drew that this was not the place for him, Greg did not point out the advantages of relaxation. “Let’s get out and walk a bit. I’ll show you around.” Greg hoped the fact that Pecan Street was light-years removed from Rodeo
Drive would be the final inducement Drew needed to return to California.

“All right. I can invest five minutes, but when we’re done here, I expect you to take me somewhere for a good lunch. The three-martini kind.”

Drew was in for another surprise, because lunch would be at the Sit ‘n’ Sip, where the absence of a liquor license meant that Drew would have not even one martini.

Not wanting to tie up any of the spots in front of the Sit ‘n’ Sip, Greg parked on the opposite side of the street two stores away from the bootery.

“You have a boot maker in this Podunk town?” Drew stopped in front of the store, his incredulity almost amusing.

“This is Texas,” Greg said. “Folks wear boots. Including yours truly.” Though they weren’t his normal footwear, this morning he’d donned the pair Samantha had made for him.

Drew glanced at Greg’s feet. “You got those here?” When Greg nodded, Drew reached for the doorknob. “Maybe this place isn’t so bad after all. I want to meet the man who made those.”

The bell tinkled as they entered the shop, and Sam Dexter emerged from the back room. “Mornin’, Greg,” the tall, gray-haired man said. “Good to see you again. Did you bring us another customer?”

Greg wasn’t sure why Samantha wasn’t minding the store, but he wasn’t complaining. Even though he was glad that Drew appeared ready to help the local economy a bit by ordering a pair of boots—maybe even two if he was feeling particularly competitive—it was just as well he didn’t meet Samantha. She was at least as beautiful as anyone Drew had dated.

Drew nodded. “Those are nice boots you made for my friend. I’d like a pair of my own. A different style, of course. What’s the best leather you have?”

This was vintage Drew, wanting to outdo Greg, to prove that he was more than the junior partner. It had never bothered Greg before, and it didn’t now. “You probably want ostrich or sharkskin,” he said. “Mine are ordinary calf.”

Drew nodded. Turning to Sam, he said, “I assume you can ship them to me in California.” The fact that Drew wasn’t planning to extend his stay to wait for his boots was the first positive sign of the morning. Of course, he might have assumed that it would be months before they were completed.

“Sure can. We do a lot of mail-order business. Now, what kind of design would you like?” Sam pulled a binder from behind the counter. “This might give you some ideas. We can do practically anything.”

Five minutes later Drew had chosen a combination of two designs and had his feet measured. “You’re sure the workmanship will be the same as you put into Greg’s boots.”

Sam nodded, though his eyes narrowed at Drew’s unspoken assumption that he might shortchange an out-of-town customer. “All of our boots are made to the same high standards,” he said stiffly.

“Then you’ll make mine exactly the way you did Greg’s.” When he negotiated, Drew could be as relentless as a badger chasing a scent.

This time Sam shook his head. “I think you misunderstood. I didn’t make Greg’s boots.” He turned and called into the back room. “Samantha.”

For the first time in all the years Greg had known him, Drew was speechless.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he demanded when they were once more outside the store. “Samantha Dexter is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”